Department for Transport

Thameslink Railway Line: Power Failures

lord bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they plan to take following the power surge on Thameslink Class 700 trains which caused delays to the Govia Thameslink Railway service; whether, during procurement of those trains, the question of power surges was mentioned in the specification of these trains; and if so, whether such problems were anticipated.

baroness vere of norbiton: Following the loss of power on 9 August which affected the operation of Class 700 Thameslink and Class 717 Moorgate trains, Ministers and officials have held discussions with Siemens, the manufacturer of the trains, and Govia Thameslink Railway, the train operator. Investigations are being undertaken by both Siemens and Govia Thameslink Railway to understand why some trains did not restart and what needs to be done to ensure that trains restart in future. The investigations are considering, amongst other things, the Thameslink trains’ conformance with power supply compatibility standards that were specified in the procurement of the trains.

Trains: Exhaust Emissions

lord bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to cease ordering bi-mode rolling stock in order to contribute to the Railway Industry Task Force’s aim to secure an 80 to 100 per cent reduction in carbon emissions by 2040; and if not, why not.

baroness vere of norbiton: The Government has set an ambitious, legally binding target to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions from the UK by 2050. The rail industry must play its part in achieving this target. We are working with Network Rail to develop a costed decarbonisation network strategy which will inform decisions on the scale and pace of rail decarbonisation. This work will consider the full range of available technologies and identify which is most appropriate for each part of the rail network. Decisions on rolling stock will be taken as part of this wider strategy, alongside decisions on infrastructure. Bi-mode trains are able to use the parts of the network that are currently electrified and have the flexibility to run in only electric mode in the future.

Large Goods Vehicles: Exhaust Emissions

lord bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Vere of Norbiton on 9 September (HL17707), whether the number of staff of the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency conducting roadside mechanical spot checks on lorries was reduced between 2016 and 2019.

baroness vere of norbiton: The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has not reduced the number of staff conducting roadside mechanical spot checks on lorries between 2016 and 2019. The DVSA targets serious and serially non-compliant operators and drivers to protect British road users from unsafe drivers and vehicles.

Road Traffic: Noise

lord bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to undertake work to reduce road traffic noise along major roads.

baroness vere of norbiton: Highways England is committed to mitigating noise pollution on the Strategic Road Network. Highways England’s key performance indicator for noise requires mitigation to be installed at 1,150 Noise Important Areas by the end of the first Road Investment Strategy period in March 2020. To support this objective Highways England is: installing low noise surfacing, where appropriate, as part of the road renewal programme, for example outside houses, schools and hospitals;when delivering schemes, seeking to mitigate potential noise impacts in line with national policy, through the use of: low noise surfacing, noise barriers, earth bunds, and through the scheme design process;delivering new noise barriers through the Environmental Designated Fund, and renewal of existing noise barriers where required; andinstalling acoustic glazing to residential properties in Noise Important Areas, delivered through the Environmental Designated Fund. Further to the work of HE, the Department for Transport is promoting the use of Electric Vehicles which will significantly reduce the noise pollution on major roads.

Agility Trains: Standards

lord bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether Agility Trains West account for delays incurred by their trains using the miles per casualty measure.

baroness vere of norbiton: Miles per Technical Incident is the common performance statistic calculated for all classes of trains used for passenger services on the national network. These statistics are collated by the Rail Delivery Group from data collated from the train operators. The Hitachi Intercity Express Trains owned by Agility Trains West are included in these statistics.

East Midlands Railway: Standards

lord bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the contractual requirements between East Midlands Railway and the Department for Transport for the operational performance of that line; and who is responsible for measuring that performance.

baroness vere of norbiton: The franchise agreement sets out operational performance benchmarks for Cancellations, Delay Minutes and Short Formations. Network Rail monitors and measures the operational performance of the railways and the Train Operator will provide these numbers to the Department for Transport to monitor their performance against the benchmarks.The East Midlands Railway franchise agreement, which contains the franchise specific benchmarks, will be published on the gov.uk website in due course.

Parking Offences: Pedestrian Areas

lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to introduce legislation to make it a criminal offence to park on pavements.

baroness vere of norbiton: The police already have powers to enforce dangerous or obstructive parking wherever it occurs. They can also enforce pavement parking restrictions, where such restrictions are introduced by the few local authorities outside London who do not have civil parking enforcement powers. However, the majority of local authorities outside London, and all London councils, have taken civil enforcement powers and would themselves enforce any pavement restrictions that may apply. In the wider context, the Department for Transport is considering the conclusions of the Transport Select Committee’s recent inquiry into pavement parking, alongside the findings of its own evidence review, and will respond to the Committee in November.

Thomas Cook: Insolvency

lord myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have madeof the cost to the taxpayer of repatriating customers of Thomas Cookto the UK; and what are the significant factors which are likely to determine whether that estimate is an (1) over, or (2) under, estimate.

baroness vere of norbiton: The Operation to repatriate customers of Thomas Cook is modelled on the successful repatriation of passengers after the collapse of Monarch Airways. The final cost of the Monarch operation to taxpayers was about £50 million and the repatriation effort with Thomas Cook is estimated to be about twice the size and far more complicated as Monarch was an airline based in Europe, whereas Thomas Cook was a global travel group. This is the biggest peacetime repatriation in UK history, involving more than 150,000 passengers, so any problems or delays could lead to additional costs. The Government will, however, seek to minimise the impact on the taxpayer by entering into discussions with third parties with a view to recovering some of the costs of this large operation. We will also look to recoup some of the costs from relevant credit and debit card providers and travel insurers.

Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation

lord berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent changes have been made to the Renewable Transport Fuels Obligation; and what was the purpose of any such change.

baroness vere of norbiton: Building on the success of the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) in supporting a market for sustainable, renewable fuels, Parliament agreed changes to the RTFO through the Renewable Transport Fuels and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Regulations 2018 SI No. 347 in March last year. Changes made by these regulations include an increase to the targets for renewable fuels out to 2032, new incentives for fuels of strategic future importance to the UK, the inclusion of renewable aviation fuels and renewable hydrogen as eligible for reward under the RTFO scheme, and a limit on the contribution that biofuels produced from food crops can make to meeting UK renewable transport fuel targets. The purpose of these changes is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from fuels supplied in transport, thereby supporting the delivery of savings required to meet UK carbon budgets, and to provide investment certainty.

Buses: Carbon Emissions

lord berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what fiscal measures they are taking to support the 2025 zero emissions target in respect of buses.

baroness vere of norbiton: The Government recently announced £220 million of additional funding to boost bus services. This includes £50 million for an all-electric bus town or city, which will serve as a model for zero-emission bus travel. In addition, the Government announced a future National Bus Strategy which will be accompanied by a long-term funding commitment.

Transport: Hydrogen

lord berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimatethey have made of the percentage of (1) buses, (2) lorries, (3) trains, and (4) aircraft, that could be powered by hydrogen by (a) 2025, and (b) 2040.

baroness vere of norbiton: The Government has not carried out specific estimates of the percentage of buses, lorries, trains and aircraft that could be powered by hydrogen by (a) 2025, and (b) 2040. The development of hydrogen as a transport fuel across all transport modes is at a relatively early stage. The UK has been moving in step with international progress on standards and technology, ensuring that the UK retains its position in the forefront of the adoption of zero emission technologies whilst retaining flexibility and managing risk in order to secure the opportunities.

Thomas Cook: Insolvency

lord browne of ladyton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the cost to the taxpayer of repayments to Thomas Cook customers who lost future bookings.

baroness vere of norbiton: There are no costs to the taxpayer of refunding future bookings. If the booking is covered by the ATOL scheme, then the refund will be paid out of the Air Travel Trust Fund. For other bookings, the customer may be able to reclaim the costs from a credit or debit card provider or from their travel insurance provider.

Thomas Cook: Insolvency

lord browne of ladyton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the amount of the cost to the taxpayer arising from the administration of Thomas Cook they will be able to recoup from (1) travel insurers, (2) debit and credit card providers, and (3) other travel providers through which passengers may have booked their Thomas Cook holiday.

baroness vere of norbiton: This is one of the largest travel company failures we have ever seen. A failure of this size, and the number of passengers affected, is unprecedented. In these circumstances it is right that the Government should step in and help affected passengers return home as smoothly as possible. We are seeking to minimise the impact on the Government and taxpayers by recovering tax payer funds expended in relation to the repatriation operation where appropriate through the ATOL scheme, credit card companies and travel insurance. The majority of Thomas Cook passengers were ATOL protected. The costs for repatriating those passengers will be covered by the ATOL scheme.

Thameslink Railway Line: Maidstone

baroness randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government when the planned Thameslink service from Maidstone East to central London and on to Cambridge is due to commence; and how frequently that service will run.

baroness randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the reasons for the repeated delays in the introduction of the Thameslink service from Maidstone East to central London and on to Cambridge.

baroness vere of norbiton: In September, the industry confirmed that it is not able to deliver the planned new Thameslink service from Maidstone East in December 2019. Following the timetable change in May last year, passengers suffered as the industry introduced new services that it was not ready to deliver. Since then, new processes have been introduced within the industry to ensure that timetable changes are deliverable. The industry has concluded that adding these services onto an already busy and complex railway network in December presents a real risk of delay and disruption to thousands of passengers that rely on existing services. Whilst is the right decision, in this context, to delay the introduction, the Department is committed to ensuring that the rail industry delivers a reliable all-day Thameslink service from Maidstone East to London as soon as possible.

Monarch Airlines: Insolvency

lord myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether their current estimate for the cost of repatriating customers of Monarch Airlines to the UK assumes a contribution from (1) the owners, and (2) any associate, of Greybull Capital; and when ministers or officials last contacted Greybull Capital about its willingness to make a contribution to that cost.

baroness vere of norbiton: Greybull Capital is not itself a shareholder in Monarch Airlines but it does perform an advisory and management role for the principal shareholder, Petrol Jersey Limited. There is no formal legal mechanism we can use to oblige Greybull to contribute towards the cost of repatriating passengers. However, Marc Meyohas, partner at Greybull, wrote to the Transport Select Committee acknowledging a moral obligation (if they make a profit) to contribute and help to defray the costs incurred by the Government in repatriating Monarch customers. The extent of any profit or loss from Greybull Capital and Petrol Jersey Limited’s investment in Monarch Airlines will depend on the outcome of the administration process, which is not due to conclude until October 2020. Until then, we will not be able to confirm the final total that the Department has recouped. Discussions with Greybull in relation to recovering the costs of the repatriation operation have been in writing. Ministers last wrote to Greybull on this matter on 5 December 2018.

*No heading*

lord lipsey: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Sugg on 4 April (HL14781), what discount rate they applied to the forecasted benefits.

baroness vere of norbiton: The benefits of the scheme were calculated over a 60-year period. The discount rate applied to the forecasted benefits was 3.5% each year for the first 30 years and 3% each year for the next 30 years, as stipulated in the HM Treasury’s “The Green Book: Central Government Guidance on Appraisal and Evaluation

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

British Business Bank: Crowdfunding

lord myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the British Business Bank independently vets every loan it makes through peer-to-peer lending platforms and similar agencies or relies on such platforms for conducting due diligence.

lord duncan of springbank: The British Business Bank operates indirectly through various delivery partners. Individual lending and investment decisions are fully delegated to these delivery partners. The British Business Bank has a thorough delivery partner selection process, which includes robust due diligence. British Business Bank also monitors existing delivery partners and their performance against contractual requirements or Service Level Agreements.

European Social Fund

baroness pinnock: To ask Her Majesty's Government what decisions they have maderegarding the replacement of EU grant schemes under the EU Social Fund if the UK leaves the EU in 2019.

lord duncan of springbank: The Government has guaranteed funding for all Structural Fund projects, including European Social Fund (ESF) projects, that would have been funded by the EU under the 2014-2020 programme period. This means that the Department of Work and Pensions, the devolved administrations and HM Government of Gibraltar will continue to fund existing and new ESF projects after Brexit until programme closure. The Government recognises the importance of providing areas with certainty over future funding when the current round of Structural Funds comes to an end and has committed to bring forward plans on the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and to consult on the fund.

Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders

baroness quin: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they last met the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders to discuss the effects of a no-deal Brexit; and what was the outcome of those discussions.

lord duncan of springbank: We are working closely with businesses across the country to help ensure they are prepared for the UK leaving the EU on the 31st October, whatever the circumstances. This includes regular engagement with the automotive industry by both BEIS ministers and officials to discuss plans for no-deal. Details of ministerial meetings with external bodies are published on the Gov.uk website of the relevant Department.

Nuclear Power

lord hunt of chesterton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are their targets for the production of clean energy achieved by nuclear fusion by (1) the public, and (2) the private, sector.

lord duncan of springbank: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. I will correspond directly with the noble Lord.

Energy: EU Law

lord stunell: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they intend to ensure the correct transposition of Energy Efficiency Directive 2012/27/EU, in the light of the reasoned opinion sent to the UK by the European Commission in July.

lord duncan of springbank: The Government will consult in due course on amending the Heat Network (Metering and Billing) Regulations 2014 to ensure the full transposition of Article 9 of the 2012 Energy Efficiency Directive. The UK has a longstanding difference of interpretation with the European Commission in respect of Article 7 of the Directive, which we hope to resolve with our response to the reasoned opinion.

Equal Pay: Social Class

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to reduce workplace pay gaps where cases are based on social class discrimination.

lord duncan of springbank: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. I will correspond directly with the noble Lord.

New Businesses

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that there has been a fall in the number of UK business start-ups due to Brexit uncertainty.

lord duncan of springbank: The number of businesses start-ups varies from year to year, and are affected by a number of factors, including consumer demand and competition, as well as the international economic context.Fundamentally, the UK has a strong business environment and the Government is committed to making the UK the best place in the world to work and to start a business. There are currently around 5.7 million SMEs employing 16.3 million people. We are ranked in the top 10 in the world for ease of doing business by the World Bank. 1,000 businesses start here every day. We are now home to three of the top 10 fastest growing companies in Europe and are the number one destination in Europe for inward investment projects.But we are not complacent. We are backing Britain’s entrepreneurs in a number of ways. The Government backed British Business Bank’s programmes are currently supporting over £6.6 billion of finance to over 89,000 SMEs (as at June 2019) Start-Up Loans, which since 2012 has delivered almost 66,500 loans worth over £527 million to small businesses (at end-August 2019).The Rose Review into Female Entrepreneurship published in March explored barriers women face starting a business and what can be done to overcome them. Government have set a goal to increase the number of female entrepreneurs by 50% by 2030 – that’s an additional 600,000 female entrepreneurs.We have asked the Princes Trust to carry out an independent review to better understand young entrepreneurs, the specific barriers and opportunities they face, and what more can be done to support them to start and grow a business.

Voluntary Work: Conditions of Employment

lord carlile of berriew: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to extend employmentlegislation to give volunteers in voluntary organisations the same protection rights as those available to paid employees.

lord duncan of springbank: In general, employment law (for example through the Employment Rights Act 1996) provides protection to ‘employees’ or ‘workers’. Many volunteers are not employees or workers, and so do not have the same legal status and protections as paid employees or workers. However, depending on the details of the volunteering arrangement, it is possible for volunteers to be workers in some cases. Some guidance on the definition of a worker is provided on the gov.uk website.. The government has consulted on whether volunteers are adequately protected by the protections within the Equality Act 2010, and responses to that consultation are currently being considered. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport is also working with charities and the charity regulator to encourage safe cultures within charities that protect volunteers. The gov.uk website explains what rights a volunteer may have.

Hinkley Point C Power Station: Sea Level

baroness jones of moulsecoomb: To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent assessment they have made of the projected sea level rise around the site of the new Hinkley Point nuclear power plant; and how this assessment varies from projections in 2009.

lord duncan of springbank: Companies involved in the civil nuclear industry are required to meet robust standards overseen by independent regulators. In March this year, the Office for Nuclear Regulation, the Environment Agency and Natural Resources Wales jointly published guidance on how the Meteorological Office’s 2018 climate projections should be taken into account. It is for the regulated entities to plan for changes in sea-level and to demonstrate to regulators that their plans are adequate.

Sea Level: Forecasts

baroness jones of moulsecoomb: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether their projections of sea level rises around the UK coast have been updated to reflect the findings of the Special Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change,The Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate, approved on 24 September.

lord duncan of springbank: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. I will correspond directly with the noble Baroness.

Sea Level: Forecasts

baroness jones of moulsecoomb: To ask Her Majesty's Government what differences exist between the projections of sea level rises by (1) the Office for Nuclear Regulation, and (2) the Met Office; and what assessment they have made of the reasons for any such differences.

lord duncan of springbank: The UK Climate Projections 2018 (UKCP18) have been produced by the Met Office as part of the Hadley Centre climate programme, co -funded by BEIS and Defra. The Office for Nuclear Regulation does not produce its own projections for sea level rise and considers that the use of the UKCP18 is relevant good practice in determining climate change allowances for applicable natural hazards at GB licensed sites.

Universal Postal Union

lord lucas: To ask Her Majesty's Government who represents the UK at the Universal Postal Union; which organisation any such representative is part of;and what steps, if any, they intend to take in regard to the current level of charges for postal packets from China to the UK.

lord duncan of springbank: The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy represents the UK at the Universal Postal Union’s (UPU) Council of Administration. It attended the UPU Extraordinary Congress in September 2019 where an agreement on international remuneration rates for bulky letters and small packets was reached. Under this agreement most countries will move onto a single rate system in 2020.

Companies: Carbon Emissions

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans, if any, they have to introduce penalties for UK companiesthatdo not achieve the 2050 targets set out in the Paris Agreement.

lord duncan of springbank: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. I will correspond directly with the noble Lord.

Thomas Cook: Insolvency

lord browne of ladyton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the cost to the National Insurance Fund of the payments (1) made, and (2) which will be made, by the redundancy payment service and the insolvency service to Thomas Cook employees who are owed redundancy and notice pay.

lord duncan of springbank: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. I will correspond directly with the noble Lord.

Incinerators: Air Pollution

baroness jones of moulsecoomb: To ask Her Majesty's Government what amount of greenhouse gases theUK produced from incinerationincluding through waste to energy incineratorsin 2016.

lord duncan of springbank: Statistics on UK greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by source sector are published annually by the National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory (NAEI) and are available on the NAEI website. In 2016, approximately 5.1 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent GHG emissions were emitted from incineration in the waste and energy supply sectors in the UK. Of this, 4.8 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent GHG emissions were emitted in the energy supply sector. Emissions from biogenic waste material are not included, consistent with domestic and international reporting of GHG emissions.

*No heading*

lord browne of ladyton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to affirm their commitment to the International Science and Technology Centre (ISTC); what consideration they have given to the UK’s future membership of ISTC as a state party after Brexit; and what plans they have to raise this future membership at the UK–Kazakhstan Inter-Governmental Commission plenary meeting in London on 24 October.

lord duncan of springbank: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. I will correspond directly with the noble Lord.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Greece: Refugees

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what support they (1) currently, and (2) intend to, provide to refugees in Greece; and what assessment they have made of the impact that (a) their, and (b) EU, aid is having, in particular in campson the islands and mainland.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The British Government remains committed to supporting Greece's efforts to manage migration effectively and is working with the Greek Government to this end. We hope to sign shortly a UK-Greece Migration Action Plan which will set out the framework for future bilateral co-operation on migration. Currently the United Kingdom is providing interpreters in the camps, helping to identify migrants and ensuring they get the help they need as quickly as possible. The United Kingdom provides financial support to the Metadrasi children's shelter on Samos, which provides a safe place to stay and professional support to the most vulnerable unaccompanied children who arrive on Samos. The DUBS scheme is continuing for the transfer of the most vulnerable unaccompanied children to the United Kingdom. The scheme aims to help provide support to the most vulnerable migrants, and alleviate pressures on the islands. The United Kingdom also continues to support search and rescue operations in the Aegean, with United Kingdom vessels rescuing 16000 migrants since 2015. The EU is continuing to work with the Greek authorities to improve migration management processes.

North Korea: Senegal

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that North Koreans are working in Senegal in contravention of UN sanctions imposed on North Korea; and whether they intend to raise such reports with UN officials.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We are concerned by reports of North Koreans working in Senegal. All UN member states are obligated to expel North Korean workers by 22 December 2019. The UK is at the forefront of efforts to ensure all states meet this obligation. We raised our concerns directly with Senegal in February 2019 and will reach out to UN member states again before the December deadline. We work closely with UN officials on this matter. We will continue to urge full compliance of UN Security resolutions on North Korea.

Eritrea: Religious Freedom

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to recommendan independent person to mediate between the government of Eritrea and the Roman Catholic, Protestant and Muslim authorities, whose health centres and schools there have recently been seized.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The British Government has no plans to recommend a mediator. Our Ambassador to Eritrea has raised the closure of the Roman Catholic, Protestant and Muslim health centres and schools with the Government of Eritrea, most recently with the Minister for Information on 26 September. We remain concerned at restrictions on religious freedoms and at the 41st Human Rights Council (24 June to 12 July), the UK reiterated calls for Eritrea to respect freedom of religion or belief.

North Korea: Mobile Phones

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that smartphones in North Korea are manufactured and sold using hardware imported in violation of United Nations sanctions.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The UK is concerned about all reports of illegal transactions with North Korea. We are at the forefront of international efforts to ensure UN sanctions on North Korea are robustly enforced, including those restricting technology imports. We engage widely with all states to urge full compliance with UN Security Council resolutions. Until North Korea takes steps towards its complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation, sanctions must remain and be fully enforced.

North Korea: Mobile Phones

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of claims by the UK cyber security company Hacker House that algorithms, software and surveillance tools are placed by the State into North Korean phones; and what are the implications of this for human rights and civil liberties.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: Reports of technology enabling state surveillance in North Korea are concerning. We are deeply worried about the wide ranging human rights abuses in North Korea, including relating to privacy and freedom of speech. The North Korean government should respect the basic rights of its people.

North Korea: Mobile Phones

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) evidence that theGioneemanufactured smart phones sold in North Korea, and (2) whether the use of foreign components imported into North Korea to enable the manufacture of mobile phones violates United Nations sanctions.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The UK is concerned about all reports of illegal transactions with North Korea. We are at the forefront of international efforts to ensure UN sanctions on North Korea are robustly enforced, including those restricting technology imports. We engage widely with all states to urge full compliance with UN Security Council resolutions. Until North Korea takes steps towards its complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation, sanctions must remain and be fully enforced.

Northern Cyprus: British Nationals Abroad

lord kilclooney: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether there are any restrictions on UK residents in Northern Cyprus travelling across the border into the Republic of Cyprus; and whether UK residents in Northern Cyprus will be able to travel across the border into the Republic of Cyprus after Brexit.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The Prime Minister has been consistently clear that safeguarding the rights of British nationals living in the EU after Brexit is a priority. We welcomed the commitments and action taken by the Republic of Cyprus government to safeguard the rights of British citizens in the event of a no deal. The British High Commission in Nicosia continues to work closely with the Republic of Cyprus on the detail of these arrangements. Under the terms of the Withdrawal Agreement, British nationals across the whole island of Cyprus can continue to exercise freedom of movement until the end of the transition period. In the event of a no deal, British nationals should still be able to cross the Green Line. The EU's Green Line regulations allow non-EU nationals to cross the line provided they have a valid travel document, and if required, a valid visa for the Republic. The Republic of Cyprus government is clear that travellers who enter Cyprus via an illegal port of entry are in breach of the national law.

Hong Kong: Protest

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of violence towards (1) bystanders, and (2) protestors, in the National Day protests in Hong Kong.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We remain seriously concerned by the situation in Hong Kong, including the violent scenes that occurred on 1 October. It is essential that protests are conducted peacefully and lawfully, and that the response of the authorities is proportionate.As we have repeatedly made clear, we believe the Hong Kong SAR Government should establish a robust, independent investigation into events. We note that the Independent Police Complaints Council are carrying out an inquiry and we look forward to further details on its scope. Whatever the format of the inquiry, it is crucial that it is credible, transparent, can rebuild trust and help to resolve the current tensions.

Gibraltar: Spain

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to ensure that people crossing the border in Gibraltar have as minimum a time delay as possible after the UK departs the EU.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​Since June 2016, the British Government has engaged constructively with the Government of Gibraltar and our European partners, including Spain, to address the practical implications - including border crossings - for Gibraltar arising from EU Exit. The Spanish Government, including most recently Foreign Minister Borrell, has made clear the importance of maintaining border fluidity to avoid long delays. The Government of Gibraltar is focussed on keeping its side of the border moving quickly.

Syria: Sanctions

baroness cox: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 1 October(HL17712), whether they conduct impact assessments on sanctions as a matter of general policy; whether they conducted such an impact assessmentfor sanctions against Syria; if so, when; and if not, why not.

baroness cox: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 1 October (HL17712), what steps they have taken to minimise the impact on ordinary Syrians of sanctions on oil imposed on Syria.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The British Government has conducted an impact assessment for each listing under the EU Syria sanctions regime. These assessments were most recently considered collectively ahead of an EU annual review which concluded in June. The EU Syria sanctions regime prohibits the export of oil from Syria and support to that industry; and prohibits making economic resources (which may include oil) available to any designated person or entity. Exemptions and licences apply to this sanctions regime, in order to minimise any detrimental effects on ordinary Syrians, including to facilitate delivery of humanitarian aid. However, Syrians continue to suffer the Assad regime's economic mismanagement, for which the regime blames international sanctions. Sanctions remain a key lever to press the regime to engage seriously with the political process.

Hong Kong: Extradition

lord pendry: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 24 June (HL16327), following the withdrawal of the Hong Kong extradition bill and in view of the protests in Hong Kong, what steps they are taking to ensure that the Sino-British Joint Declaration, ratified by the governments of China and the United Kingdom in 1984 and registered with the United Nations in 1985, is adhered to.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The Government has set out its position on the situation in Hong Kong in public and in private. We are in regular contact with the Government of China and the Hong Kong SAR Government. In recent weeks, the Foreign Secretary has spoken to the Hong Kong Chief Executive, Carrie Lam, and the Chinese Foreign Minister, State Councillor Wang Yi. The Foreign Secretary reiterated the UK’s commitment to Hong Kong’s high degree of autonomy and rights and freedoms under the “One Country, Two Systems” framework, which is guaranteed by the legally binding Joint Declaration of 1984 and enshrined in the Hong Kong Basic Law.The Foreign Secretary has also spoken to a wide range of counterparts on this issue and welcomes the strong statements from our international partners.The Prime Minister raised Hong Kong at the recent G7 meeting, where all G7 partners reaffirmed the importance of the Joint Declaration and called for an end to the violence.We will continue to engage the Hong Kong SAR government, the Chinese government and international partners, reiterating the fundamental importance of upholding the Sino-British Joint Declaration.

North Korea: Guided Weapons

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that North Korea fired a submarine-launched ballistic missile.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We are deeply concerned that North Korea has conducted a submarine-launched ballistic missile test. This follows ten other sets of ballistic missile tests this year and is another clear violation of UN Security Council Resolutions. The UK Government has repeatedly expressed its concern at North Korea’s breaches of international law and has ensured UN Security Council consideration of the matter, most recently on Tuesday 27 August. We urge North Korea to cease these tests and engage in good faith with the United States. Until the dismantlement of North Korea’s nuclear and missile programmes, UN sanctions must remain in place and be fully enforced. It is our firm belief that complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation is the path to a peaceful and more prosperous future for the North Korean people.

Africa: Migration

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what were the conclusions of the British-Tunisian Forum for Dialogue held on 12 September; and whether they included measures relating to migration in Africa.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The sixth UK-Tunisia Bilateral Forum, which took place in London on 12 September, provided an opportunity to exchange views on bilateral and regional issues, and underlined both countries' desire to continue to collaborate closely. Both countries committed themselves to finalising a broad bilateral association agreement, which was signed on 4 October. This Agreement will provide a comprehensive framework for the growing trade between our countries and strengthen cooperation on political dialogue, democracy, education, trade, environment and human rights. The Joint Communique of the Forum, providing further details of its conclusions, has been published on gov.uk.While no new measures relating to migration in Africa were agreed, we continue to work closely with Tunisia to address the issue of unmanaged migration from Africa to Europe and to help Tunisian authorities deal with this challenge.

Hong Kong: Politics and Government

lord pendry: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 24 June (HL16327), what discussions they have had with the United Nations to ensure that the Sino-British Joint Declaration, ratified by the governments of China and the United Kingdom in 1984 and registered with the United Nations in 1985, is adhered to.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The UK is fully committed to upholding the legally binding Joint Declaration of 1984. In our national ‘Item 2’ statement at the 42nd session of the Human Rights Council in September we re-iterated our support and call for all to respect the ‘One Country, Two Systems’ framework, including the rights and freedoms in the Joint Declaration. We also underlined that meaningful political dialogue, under Hong Kong’s high degree of autonomy, is essential.

Cabinet Office

Cybercrime: Government Departments

lord harris of haringey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what stepsthey are takingto ensure that best practice in evaluating the cyber security of supply chains is being shared across government departments.

the earl of courtown: The government takes supply chain security seriously. The requirement to understand and manage cyber security issues arising from a department’s supply chain is detailed in Item 1 of the Minimum Cyber Security Standard.The use of Cyber Essentials in government procurement is set out in Policy Procurement Notice 09/14. Use of Cyber Essentials demonstrates a supplier has taken necessary steps to obtain an appropriate level of cyber security.Best practice is promoted through the advice contained in the National Cyber Security Centre and Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure’s Supply Chain Security guidance.

Ministerial Policy Advisers: Dismissal

lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether any special advisors have the authority to dismiss other special advisors.

the earl of courtown: In line with the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010, special advisers operate under the authority of their appointing Minister. Therefore, special advisers in No 10 Act under the authority of the Prime Minister. Section 8 of the 2010 Act also allows special advisers to exercise any power in relation to the management of another special adviser if permitted by the Code of Conduct for Special Advisers. The code of conduct does so permit.

Ministerial Policy Advisers: Conditions of Employment

lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent amendments they have made to the employment contract for special advisors.

the earl of courtown: In December of last year the Government announced work reviewing how special advisers’ terms can be made clearer and more consistent. (19 December 2018 Vol. 651, [HCWS1216])A revised model contract for special advisers was published on 19 September. The changes made reflect improvements to align the policies that apply to special advisers including on parental leave rights, clarification of the provisions relating to severance payments, and an explanation of the disciplinary procedure which reflects the longstanding role of the Prime Minister in the appointment of all special advisers.

Ministerial Policy Advisers: Conditions of Employment

lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to review the Cabinet Office's Human Resources policies and procedures relating to the employment of special advisors.

the earl of courtown: A revised model contract for special advisers was published on 19 September. The changes made reflect improvements to align the policies that apply to special advisers including on parental leave rights, clarification of the provisions relating to severance payments, and an explanation of the disciplinary procedure which reflects the longstanding role of the Prime Minister in the appointment of all special advisers.The last update to the Special Adviser’s Code of Conduct was in December 2016. This document is kept under regular review. In December of last year, the Minister for the Constitution announced work to review how special advisers’ terms can be made clearer and consistent (19 December 2018 Vol. 651, [HCWS1216]). This work is ongoing.

Prorogation

lord stoddart of swindon: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the constitutional and political implications of the Supreme Court ruling that the Government's decision to advise Her Majesty The Queen to prorogue Parliament was unlawful, and therefore the subsequent prorogation was void and of no effect.

the earl of courtown: I refer the noble Lord to the answer given by the Prime Minister to Parliamentary Question PQ290379 on 2 October 2019.

Department of Health and Social Care

Heart Diseases: Surgery

lord bassam of brighton: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many heart operations they estimate will be cancelled by the NHS in the event of a no-deal Brexit due to a lack of availability of bio-aortic root replacement importsfrom Italy.

lord bassam of brighton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what alternative bio-aortic root replacement supply lines have been developed in the event of a no-deal Brexit interrupting imports from Italy.

baroness blackwood of north oxford: The Department is doing everything appropriate to prepare for leaving the European Union. We want to reassure patients that our plans should ensure the uninterrupted supply of medicines and medical products once we have left the EU. This includes the supply of bio-aortic root replacement devices.The Department, as part of our EU exit preparations, is implementing a multi-layered approach to mitigate potential disruption to supply, which consists of stockpiling where possible, securing freight capacity, changing or clarifying regulatory requirements, procuring additional warehousing, working closely with industry to improve trader readiness and putting in place the National Supply Disruption Response to manage potential shortages.

Diabetes

lord bassam of brighton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to guarantee a continuous supply of insulin for those withtype 1 diabetes in the event of a no-deal Brexit.

baroness blackwood of north oxford: The Department is doing everything appropriate to prepare for leaving the European Union. We want to reassure patients that our plans should ensure the uninterrupted supply of medicines and medical products, including insulin, once we have left the EU.The Department, as part of our EU exit preparations, is implementing a multi-layered approach to mitigate potential disruption to supply, which consists of stockpiling where possible, securing freight capacity, changing or clarifying regulatory requirements, procuring additional warehousing, working closely with industry to improve trader readiness and putting in place the National Supply Disruption Response to manage potential shortages.As an example of the preparations being taken by industry to prepare for EU exit, all three suppliers of insulin have publicly stated that they have significantly increased their United Kingdom stockpiles, and have met the Government’s request that they hold at least six weeks’ worth of extra stock in addition to their usual operational stocks.

Nurses: Students

lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will publish figures for student nurse intakes in Northamptonshire for every year since 2010.

baroness blackwood of north oxford: The Department does not hold this data.

Flour: Folic Acid

lord rooker: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many submissions were receivedto theProposal to add folic acid to flour consultation document by the closing date; and when they expect to publish a response.

baroness blackwood of north oxford: The folic acid fortification consultation closed on 9 September 2019 and we received 1,442 responses. A post-consultation update is also available on the consultation webpage online only.We are currently in the process of analysing the consultation responses and will respond in due course.

Catering: Hygiene

lord rooker: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to require food establishments in England to display the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme information that they are supplied with by local authorities.

baroness blackwood of north oxford: The Food Hygiene Rating Scheme is operated by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) in partnership with local authorities across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Food businesses covered by the scheme are provided with stickers showing their rating. Those in Wales and Northern Ireland are already required by law to display the stickers at their premises, while those in England are encouraged to do so. The FSA considers that mandatory display should extend to England and is finalising an evidence-based case for a statutory scheme which will be submitted for ministerial consideration and ultimately cross-Government approval.

Catering: Hygiene

lord rooker: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many food establishments there are in England; and of those, how many have not been inspected by the relevant local authority onthe latest date for which figures are available.

baroness blackwood of north oxford: At 31 March 2019 the number of registered or approved food establishments reported in England was 511,297 and the number of those not yet rated was 24,897.

Mental Health Services: Private Sector

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans, if any, they have to conduct an inquiry into standards of care in private mental health units.

baroness blackwood of north oxford: We have no such plans at present. Everybody has the right to receive safe, high-quality care. If care has fallen short of this, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) can use its powers to take action against those responsible.The CQC has a key responsibility in the overall assurance of safety and quality of health and adult social care services in England and has commissioned two independent reviews to look at what it could have done differently or better in terms of its regulation and inspection of Whorlton Hall and other services of this kind.We are working with the CQC to look at ways in which we can improve the way we hold large independent sector mental health providers with complex structures to account for quality and safety.

NHS: Drugs

baroness afshar: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assurance, if any, they have received that medication brought from new sources other than the EU will meet the same standards as present.

baroness blackwood of north oxford: All human medicines marketed in the United Kingdom must meet stringent requirements for quality, safety and efficacy set out in UK medicines legislation and supporting guidelines. These apply regardless of the source of the medicine.The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), the Government body responsible for the safety and licensing of medicines in the UK, regularly inspect pharmaceutical manufacturing plants in the UK and in third countries.Regardless of the location of the site of manufacture, the manufacturer must demonstrate to the MHRA that the product is manufactured according to the registered UK licence (marketing authorisation) and to at least the minimum standard detailed in the European Union Guide to Good Manufacturing Practice.In addition, each batch of medicine manufactured in a third country is tested within the UK on import and the manufacturing document reviewed by the license holders Qualified Person before being certified for release to the market.All these measures will remain in place if the UK leaves the EU.

Genito-urinary Medicine: Finance

lord black of brentwood: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the one per cent increase in the local authority Public Health Grant, announced in the Spending Round 2019, published on 4 September, on sexual health services.

baroness blackwood of north oxford: Local authority public health grant allocations for 2020/21 will be published in due course. It will be for local authorities themselves to determine how best to use these resources based on their assessment of local need and with regard to their statutory duties.Local authorities are required by regulations to provide comprehensive open access sexual health services, including provision for sexually transmitted infection testing and treatment and contraception.

HIV Infection: Drugs

lord black of brentwood: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had, and intend to have, with local authorities about ensuring PrEP is routinely commissioned as part of HIV prevention services.

baroness blackwood of north oxford: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Health Services: EU Nationals

baroness hollins: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, in the event of a no-deal Brexit, EU frontier workers working and paying tax and National Insurance in the UK will be entitled to NHS treatment.

baroness blackwood of north oxford: In a ‘no deal’ European Union exit, EU citizens living in another state but travelling regularly to and from the United Kingdom as a frontier worker on or before exit day will continue to be entitled for National Health Service treatment without charge.The Government is aiming to agree with the EU or with individual Member States continuing the existing reciprocal healthcare arrangements after exit day until at least 31 December 2020. Where such agreement is reached, an EU citizen who becomes a frontier worker after exit day would be eligible for NHS treatment without charge, under the terms of that arrangement. Where no agreement is reached, a frontier worker from that country may be charged for their care unless an exemption applies or the service that they are accessing is one which is free for everyone.

Doctors: Recruitment

lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plansthey have to encourage NHS employers to introduce flexibility in recruitment procedures for doctors so that junior doctors on training programmes abroad, including the diploma in tropical medicine, do not have to fly back for interviews during their period abroad.

lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether junior doctors who are on training programmes abroad and have been invited to interview by the NHS can submit their portfolios electronicallyand conduct interviews by Skype.

baroness blackwood of north oxford: The Enhancing Junior Doctors’ Working Lives programme was established by Health Education England in March 2016, to improve the quality of life of doctors in training. This programme includes a specific workstream to make the recruitment process and subsequent deployment to training programmes more flexible for trainees applying from the United Kingdom and abroad.Specialty courses who use the Multi-Specialty Recruitment Assessment (MSRA) as part of their selection process allow the test to be taken overseas, reducing the need to travel to the UK. For general practice and core psychiatry, applicants who reach the bypass score in the MSRA will progress directly to the offers stage, without the need to attend a selection centre.HEE is in the process of re-developing its digital Oriel recruitment system for the 2021 recruitment round, which will go live in June 2020 and an electronic interface with e-portfolios has been proposed. Royal Colleges are each responsible for their own portfolio.At present, HEE does not support Skype interviews of doctors in training as part of national selection due to a number of difficulties it would give recruiters and assessors, including verification of identity, replication of national processes and invigilation. Skype interviews are available for applicants with specific health requirements who are unable to travel.Individual trusts are responsible for setting the application and recruitment processes to positions within that trust.

Vaccination: Children

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have (1) to increase the uptake of childhood vaccination, and (2) make childhood vaccination mandatory.

baroness blackwood of north oxford: The Department is working with Public Health England, NHS England and NHS Improvement and other stakeholders to deliver a comprehensive vaccine and immunisation strategy this autumn. The strategy will set out a clear vision for maintaining and developing England’s world-leading immunisation programme over the next 10 years and beyond.Actions planned or underway to increase the uptake of childhood vaccination include:- Strengthening the role of local immunisation coordinators – healthcare professionals that promote vaccine uptake, particularly in under-served groups, by supporting areas with low uptake and tailoring specific local interventions to under-vaccinated communities;- Holding a summit with social media companies to agree actions they can take to tackle the proliferation of anti-vaccine messaging on their sites;- Updating the National Health Service website to ensure availability of NHS-approved, evidence-based and trusted advice on vaccines; and- A review of general practice vaccinations and immunisation standards, funding, and procurement to incentivise improved immunisation coverage.Vaccine uptake remains high, but rates must improve to fully protect the public. Childhood vaccinations are not currently mandatory but, as part of the new vaccine strategy, we are exploring bold action to ensure every child is properly protected, including possible approaches to mandation.

Social Services: Reform

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to publish a plan listing their proposed reforms for adult social care and timings for legislation to implement any such reforms; and if so, when.

baroness blackwood of north oxford: As the Prime Minister said on the steps of Downing Street, the Government will set out its plans to fix the crisis in social care once and for all, to give everyone the dignity and security that they deserve.We want to ensure that no one will have to sell their home to pay for care.We will set out our proposals in due course.

Genito-urinary Medicine

lord black of brentwood: To ask Her Majesty's Government what cross-departmental discussions have taken place about drawing up a comprehensive sexual health strategy to tackle the rise in sexually transmitted infections.

baroness blackwood of north oxford: The development of a national sexual health strategy is a key recommendation in the Health and Social Care Committee’s report on sexual health, which was published on 2 June 2019. The Government is currently considering the report’s recommendations and will publish a formal response shortly.

North Manchester Hospital

lord bradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much capital money will be allocated for the (1) rebuilding, and (2) refurbishment, of North Manchester General Hospital in each of the next five years.

baroness blackwood of north oxford: On Sunday 29 September, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care announced the next stage in our strategic investment in the National Health Service, with the Health Infrastructure Plan (HIP) to ensure that our health infrastructure is fit-for-purpose for decades to come. The Prime Minister set out on Wednesday 2 October his plan that “in the next ten years we will build 40 new hospitals in the biggest investment in hospital infrastructure for a generation.” As a step towards this, we have committed funding for six new hospitals as well as seed funding to support the initial stage of a further 34 building projects.North Manchester General Hospital scheme is one of the projects that are green-lighted to proceed to the next level of their development plan. A total pot of £100 million of seed money is being made available to help kick start the next stage of developing these plans. All schemes however will need to present a clear investment case to move onto the next stage, and funding will be subject to future spending reviews. Other projects will be able to bid into this and other future waves too.

Foetal Alcohol Syndrome

lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessmentthey havemade of the prevalence of foetal alcohol spectrum disorder.

lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plansthey have to publish a strategy embracing (1) prevention of, (2) early recognition of, and (3) support for children with, foetal alcohol spectrum disorder.

lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plansthey have to commission a study on life outcomes for children with foetalalcohol spectrum disorder, including behavioural and language issues.

lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to commission a study outlining the supportrequired by parents of children with foetalalcohol spectrum disorder.

baroness blackwood of north oxford: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Rare Diseases: Screening

baroness redfern: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by Genetic Alliance UK Fixing the Present, Building for the Future: Newborn screening for rare conditions, published in July, in particular its finding that the UK tests for fewer conditions in new-borns in its new-born bloodspot screening programme than similar high income countries; and what plans they have to increase the number of serious conditions they test for.

baroness blackwood of north oxford: In the United Kingdom, screening is an end to end service from test to treatment. This is not necessarily the case in other countries such as the United States of America. Therefore, comparisons with other health systems can be misleading.In April 2014, the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) recommended extending the newborn bloodspot screening programme to include four additional conditions: maple syrup urine disease; homocystinuria; glutaric acidaemia type 1; and isovaleric acidaemia. The newborn blood spot screening is currently offered to all babies to identify nine conditions, as recommended by the UK NSC.The UK NSC welcomes any new topic proposals through its annual call for topics. Using research evidence, pilot programmes and economic evaluation, the UK NSC assesses the evidence for programmes against a set of internationally recognised criteria. To ensure that screening is offered where the balance of benefit outweighs the harms.In August 2019, the UK NSC published Generation genome and the opportunities for screening programmes. The report reflects the specific opportunities identified by each of the 11 population screening programmes, including the antenatal and newborn screening programmes. The report concluded that the advances in genomic technologies present exciting and potentially effective developments for screening programmes. Current and developing research and technology will be used to determine how, in future, genetics can best be used in screening. A copy of the report is attached.



Generation_genome
(PDF Document, 1.48 MB)

Cancer: Screening

baroness redfern: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to increase the uptake of checks for breast, bowel, and cervical diseases; and whether they intend to publish guidance to NHS trusts in England about ways in which such trusts can increase the uptake of such checks.

baroness blackwood of north oxford: NHS England is committed to improving the uptake of national cancer screening programmes, for breast, bowel, and cervical cancer.In January, NHS England published its Long Term Plan, which outlined its ambition to deliver improvements in the uptake of national cancer screening programmes. To support this process, NHS England has developed improving uptake action plans, which can be used by providers and the wider health system, to improve the performance of screening programmes.The uptake action plans include proposals for reviewing and extending appointment hours (for example for breast cancer screening) and using data to inform strategies for improving uptake in those populations of greatest need. These plans are already available to commissioning teams and will be updated and reissued throughout the year.National Health Service regions are currently developing implementation plans to deliver on these commitments. To provide robust oversight and assurance of delivery, NHS England has established national programme boards for each cancer screening programme area.In addition, we expect the Sir Mike Richards’ Review of Screening report, due to be published soon, to identify additional opportunities to improve the uptake of breast, bowel, and cervical screening.Further, Public Health England has been running ‘Be Clear on Cancer’ campaigns since 2011. These are designed to raise the public’s awareness of specific cancer symptoms; encourage people with those symptoms to go to the doctor; and diagnose cancer at an earlier stage, and therefore make it more treatable, and thereby improve cancer survival rates.

Cancer: Screening

baroness redfern: To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to using (1) smartphone bookings, (2) text reminders, (3) evening appointments, and (4) accessible locations, for cancer screening appointments; and what assessment, if any, they have made of whether such measures would increase (a) the uptake of such screenings, and (b) early diagnosis.

baroness blackwood of north oxford: NHS England recognises the importance of delivering public health services, including screening, which people find easy to access. This is why the NHS Long Term Plan and detailed improvement actions are about ensuring services are easy and convenient for people to use in order to deliver the Long Term Plan ambition on cancer to see 55,000 more people surviving cancer for five years in England each year from 2028.The actions plans include real-world case studies which have demonstrated improvements in local areas. These case studies sit alongside widely published evidence which has been proven to deliver improvements in uptake. We expect these actions to have a positive impact on the uptake of screening.Sir Mike Richards’ Review of Screening report is due to be published shortly which will identify additional opportunities to improve the uptake of breast, bowel, and cervical screening. In addition, NHSX is looking at possible improvements to screening IT systems, which should support the delivery of cancer screening programmes.

Farms and Slaughterhouses: Inspections and Veterinary Services

lord rogan: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they have made in ensuring that there will be sufficient numbers of fully-qualified (1) official veterinarians, and (2) meat hygiene inspectors, employed (a)in abattoirs, and (b) on farms, in the UK after Brexit.

baroness blackwood of north oxford: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is continuing to monitor the situation by surveying staff and is in regular discussion with the delivery partner who provides the majority of official veterinarians and meat hygiene inspectors who undertake official controls in abattoirs. Whilst the recruitment landscape remains challenging, the FSA has contingency plans to ensure the effective delivery of official controls in abattoirs continues once the United Kingdom has left the European Union so that food businesses’ operations in abattoirs are supported and that food is safe.The FSA is responsible for delivery of official controls in relation to primary production of milk and will continue to discharge its responsibilities by increasing capacity and capability in this area. The FSA is not responsible for the delivery of other official controls at farm level, this is being carried out by staff from the Animal and Plant Health Agency and local authorities.

Nurses: Northamptonshire

lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessmentthey have made of the impact on NHS services in Northamptonshire of recent changes in the numbers of student nurses in Northamptonshire.

baroness blackwood of north oxford: Student nurses in training are supernumerary to the workforce and as such do not provide any Service. It takes three years to train a nurse and we have over 52,000 students in training. The University and College Admissions Service reports show that nationally, the number of applicants to nursing courses is up 4% compared to the same point last year.In Northamptonshire the local clinical commissioning groups report that the number of students who started in September is stable, with further work on-going locally to increase numbers for the March 2020 intake. The Department has put in place a financial package for students that means a typical student has 25% more money to live on while studying than under the bursary system.

Dental Health: Children

lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by the Royal College of Surgeons' Faculty of Dental SurgeryThe state of children's oral health in England, published in August.

baroness blackwood of north oxford: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Hearing Impairment: Special Educational Needs

lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the research published by the National Deaf Children’s Society which found that51 per cent oflocal authorities subject to an Ofsted and Care Quality Commissionspecial educational needs and disabilities inspection in 2017 hadto produce a written statement of action.

baroness blackwood of north oxford: As at 3 October 2019, 100 local areas have been inspected and their reports published under the Ofsted and Care Quality Commission Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) inspection framework. Of these, 51 local areas have been asked to produce a Written Statements of Action.The inspection process (including revisits) is intended to identify in each local area where they are doing well in respect of their SEND responsibilities and where there are areas for development.We are confident that the inspections, along with our joint working with partners to provide support and challenge to local areas, including through the new SEND Leadership Board, are helping local areas to improve their services.

Hospitals: Construction

lord roberts of llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the estimated total cost of the 40 hospital building projects announced on 29 September.

baroness blackwood of north oxford: On Sunday 29 September, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care formally announced the next stage in our strategic investment in the National Health Service, with the Health Infrastructure Plan (HIP) to ensure that our health infrastructure is fit-for-purpose for decades to come. On Wednesday 2 October, the Prime Minister then set out his plan that “in the next ten years we will build 40 new hospitals in the biggest investment in hospital infrastructure for a generation.” As a step towards this, we have committed funding for six new hospitals as well as seed funding to support the initial stage of a further 34 building projects.The package of funding includes:- £2.7 billion for six new hospital projects to be delivered in our first phase of major hospital rebuilds (HIP1);- £100 million to support for 21 major projects (£5 million each) comprising 34 hospital sites go to the next stage of developing their plans to be delivered in the second phase of major hospital rebuilds, subject to business case development and future spending reviews. Other projects will be able to bid into this and other future waves too. (HIP2); and- £200 million investment for state-of-the-art MRI, CT and breast cancer screening machines, to update or replace our most out of date diagnostic equipment, across over 80 trusts.The Health Infrastructure Plan also outlines our plans for a new system for ensuring funding reaches the frontline when and where it is needed, with national infrastructure to support this, and clear accountability for how it is spent. These plans include proposals for assisting trusts, including allowing some access to early funding and streamlining the business case process.As part of our rolling investment programme, we have confirmed that there will be future phases of the Health Infrastructure Plan, with opportunities for the NHS to put forward further new hospital projects for the next phases of the programme. We also recognise that there may some more schemes suitable for investments that are not currently part of HIP1 and HIP2. These should continue developing their plans and priorities for local NHS infrastructure, and where exceptionally strong schemes come to light before HIP3, we will consider these in the context of available funding.

Eggs: Standards

lord bourne of aberystwyth: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that high public health standards are maintained in relation to the consumption of eggs and egg products after Brexit.

baroness blackwood of north oxford: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Department for Exiting the European Union

Brexit

lord rogan: To ask Her Majesty's Government what alternative arrangements they anticipate will be acceptable to the EU to replace the backstop in theAgreement on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community, published on 14 November 2018.

lord callanan: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

EU Staff: Pensions

lord balfe: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written AnswerbyLord Callanan on 27 September (HL17569), whether the financial obligations the UK will have to the EUin the event of a no-deal Brexit will include an appropriate contribution towards the pension liabilities to existing and forthcoming EU pensions for staff and members of the various EU institutions.

lord bethell: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Business

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether businesses which have planned and stockpiled for Brexit twice will be reimbursed for extra costs incurred, if there is no Brexit on 31 October.

lord callanan: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Brexit: Negotiations

lord roberts of llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government what has been the cost of the Brexit negotiations since the result of the EU referendum in 2016.

lord callanan: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Brexit: Northern Ireland

lord empey: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Northern Ireland Civil Service was consulted about the proposals for the replacement of the backstop contained in the Explanatory Note: UK proposals for an Amended Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland, published on 2 October.

lord callanan: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Brexit: Northern Ireland

lord empey: To ask Her Majesty's Government, in the absence of a functioning Northern Ireland Executive and Assembly, howthey intend to determine if the people of Northern Ireland are content to remain in the EU Single Market following the UK's withdrawal from the EU.

lord callanan: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Department for Education

Music: Education

lord black of brentwood: To ask Her Majesty's Government what provision is being made for the future of music education hubs; and when plans for the (1) future funding of, and (2) a long-term strategy for, such hubs will be published.

lord black of brentwood: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have toincrease annual funding for music education hubs to £100 million.

lord black of brentwood: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether future funding for music education hubs will take account of inflation as well as changes to teachers' pay and pension contributions.

lord agnew of oulton: The government believes that music is an important subject and that all pupils should receive a high quality music education, at least up to the age of 14. The subject is compulsory in the national curriculum, and the government is providing funding of over £300 million for music education hubs between 2016 and 2020.Music education hubs have done excellent work to ensure there is more equitable access to music education. Funding for music education hubs beyond March 2021 will be subject to the 2020 Spending Review.The department is proud of our National Plan for Music Education, setting an ambitious vision for music education for every child, regardless of their background. We are working to refresh the plan and an announcement on this will be made in due course.

English Baccalaureate

lord black of brentwood: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatplans, if any, they have to review the English Baccalaureate following the recommendations from two former Ofsted Chief Inspectors that it should be discontinued.

lord agnew of oulton: The department want all pupils to have opportunities to succeed, irrespective of their background. The English Baccalaureate (Ebacc) is an important part of this. Research published in August 2017 by the Centre for Longitudinal Studies found that EBacc students had a greater probability of progression to all post 16 educational outcomes. In 2010, just 22% of pupils studied the EBacc at GCSE. We have made progress, with the proportion of pupils taking the EBacc increasing to 38%, and very significant increases in the take up of science, history and geography. The department is working to increase take-up, especially of languages, by introducing a range of programmes including, for example: the £4.8 million modern foreign languages pedagogy programme, an undergraduate digi-mentoring scheme, and the £10 million Mandarin Excellence Programme. We are encouraged by a 2018 Department for Education survey that found that 73% of parents would advise their child to take a language at GCSE.

Care Leavers: Supported Housing

the earl of listowel: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many children in local authority care were placed in supported accommodation while under the age of16in (1) 2015–16, (2) 2016–17, (3) 2017–18, and (4) 2018–19.

the earl of listowel: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many young people in local authority care were placed in supported accommodation at the age of 16 or 17 in (1) 2015–16, (2) 2016–17, (3) 2017–18, and (4) 2018–19.

the earl of listowel: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many care leavers were placed in supported accommodation at the age of 16 or 17 in (1) 2015–16, (2) 2016–17, (3) 2017–18, and (4) 2018–19.

lord agnew of oulton: Information on the number of care leavers aged 17 living in supported or semi-supported accommodation[1][2][3] for years ending 31 March 2016 to 2018 is shown in the table below.Coverage: England2015-161802016-17902017-1880 Information on the number of looked after children by age living in supported or semi-supported accommodation since 2016 is shown in the table attached. Information for the reporting year 2018-19 will not be available until December.The department does not collect information on the number of children who leave care aged 16. [1] Includes semi-independent transitional accommodation, supported and unsupported lodgings, and foyers and similar supported accommodation for care leavers.[2] Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.[3] Information on 17-year-olds care leavers has been collected as experimental statistics since 2015-16.



HL17924_HL17925_HL17926_Table
(Excel SpreadSheet, 50 KB)

Pupil Premium: Sixth Form Education

the lord bishop of winchester: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to extend the pupil premium to post-16 education.

lord agnew of oulton: The government is determined to ensure that disadvantaged students are supported in their post-16 education. The national funding formula for 16 to 19 year olds and the funding through the Adult Education Budget both include a disadvantage uplift. This provides extra funding for disadvantaged students (specifically for those with low prior attainment or those who live in the most disadvantaged areas). We will continue to consider how we can most effectively support disadvantaged students in post-16 education, and will continue to keep financial arrangements under review.

Adult Education

the lord bishop of winchester: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to introduce a long-term plan to support adult education, retraining and lifelong learning.

lord agnew of oulton: We have a number of current and future programmes in place, and planned, to support adults and lifelong learning. Our adult skills system seeks to improve productivity, employment levels and social inclusion. It supports people who are starting out in their careers, those who want to upskill and those who want or need to change careers. Adult skills and lifelong learning provision includes:The Adult Education Budget (AEB)The National Retraining SchemeApprenticeships The AEB fully funds or co-funds skills provision for eligible adults aged 19 and above from pre-entry to level 3 (including traineeships) to help them gain the skills they need for work, an apprenticeship or further learning. It also enables flexible tailored programmes of learning to be made available which do not need to include a qualification. From 1 August 2019, approximately half of the AEB has been devolved to 6 Mayoral Combined Authorities (MCAs) and the Mayor of London acting through the Greater London Authority (GLA). From this date the MCAs and the GLA can use the devolved AEB to shape education and skills provision in a way that best fits the needs of their residents and local economy. The Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) will be responsible for funding AEB learners resident in non-devolved areas. Part-time and flexible courses are key to enabling adults to access higher education. The government has taken steps to ensure the funding system supports more flexible learning at undergraduate degree level. This includes introducing part-time tuition fee loans to cover the upfront cost of part-time courses, part-time students being able to access full-time equivalent maintenance loans and removing the equivalent or lower qualification restrictions for all part-time STEM degree courses. The National Retraining Scheme is a new programme which is currently being developed as part of the government’s answer to the transforming world of work. The National Retraining Scheme will help prepare adults for the future changes to the economy, including those brought about by automation, and help them retrain into better jobs. Our reforms to apprenticeships are benefiting people of all ages and backgrounds, including adults developing their skills. We have given employers the flexibility to offer apprenticeships to both new recruits and existing staff, supporting the creation of quality workplace training opportunities and life-long learning.

Children: Reading

lord bourne of aberystwyth: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to encourage children to read.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they intend to take to ensure that everybody living in the UK is able to read and write English to a competent standard.

lord agnew of oulton: Ensuring children are taught to read well is vital to spreading opportunity. There is a substantial body of evidence that shows that systematic phonics is a highly effective method for teaching early reading.This answer refers to education in England, as education is a devolved issue. Our phonics performance is improving. In 2019, 82% of pupils met the expected standard in the phonics screening check, compared to just 58% when the check was introduced in 2012. We are also investing £26.3 million in a national network of English hubs. We have appointed 34 primary schools across England as English hubs, who are taking a leading role in supporting nearly 3000 schools to improve their teaching of reading through systematic synthetic phonics, early language development, and reading for pleasure.The national curriculum aims to ensure that all pupils develop the habit of reading widely and often, becoming independent, fluent and enthusiastic readers who read for pleasure and for information. Reading aloud is a part of this, and teachers are encouraged to read poetry, stories and non-fiction to younger pupils, as well as longer books to older pupils.This government recognises the importance of strong literacy skills both in work and everyday life, which is why we provide full funding through the Adult Education Budget for people who need English skills to undertake a range of courses in GCSEs, functional skills and stepping stone qualifications from entry level to Level 2. To ensure as many people as possible have developed these skills by 19, the government requires students who have not yet achieved a Grade 4 in English to study it as part of the 16-19 study programme. Students taking Level 3 apprenticeships and T-Levels need to achieve a grade 4 at GCSE or pass functional skills. In 2018, nearly 80% of 19-year-olds held a Level 2 English qualification.

*No heading*

lord bourne of aberystwyth: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure thatUK universities stay competitive with universities elsewhere in the world.

baroness berridge: The UK has a world-class reputation, with globally renowned teaching and cutting-edge research and innovation. We want to deliver better outcomes and value for students, employers and taxpayers who underwrite the system.The Office for Students (OfS) is now fully operational and puts students and student choices at the heart of the higher education (HE) sector and its regulation. By encouraging diversity and innovation in high quality provision, the government is supporting the sector to meet the needs of all students in HE, whatever their background or study choices, as well as opening up the sector to greater competition.The OfS has formally adopted the Teaching Excellence and Student Outcomes Framework (TEF) as its scheme for assessing the quality of HE provision in England. Participation in the TEF is a condition of registration for English HE providers with more than 500 undergraduates. Participation is voluntary for smaller HE providers and for those in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The TEF encourages excellent teaching to flourish by re-balancing the priority given to teaching and learning compared to research.The TEF will provide strong incentives to HE providers to prioritise the student learning experience. In due course we will lay before Parliament the report of the independent review of the TEF, which has been conducted by Dame Shirley Pearce.In August 2019, my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister, announced a new fast-track immigration route aimed at allowing a wider pool of scientific talent to come to the UK. This route will ensure that those with specialist skills in science, technology, engineering and mathematics subjects can come to the UK and make an important contribution to our leading science and research sectors, significantly enhancing the intellectual and knowledge base of the UK. The route will be uncapped, ensuring that those with the required skill set can secure places.The UK is a great place for research, accounting for 4% of the world's researchers, 11% of all citations, 14% of the world’s most highly cited articles and 4 of the world’s top 10 universities. The government recognises the important contribution of our universities to research, innovation and working with business. This contribution is critical to achieving the ambitions of our modern Industrial Strategy, including delivering 2.4% spend of GDP on research and development by 2027. In the autumn, the government will set out plans to significantly boost public funding on research and development, provide greater long-term certainty to our scientific and research community and accelerate our ambition to reach 2.4% of GDP.Additionally, on 11 September, my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister, announced a new graduate immigration route that provides an opportunity for international students who have been awarded their degree to stay and work in the UK at any skill level for 2 years. This represents a significant improvement in our offer to international students and will help ensure that our world-leading HE sector remains competitive internationally.

Ministry of Justice

Personal Independence Payment: Appeals

baroness thomas of winchester: To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of appeals against Personal Independence Payment decisions by claimants before tribunals have been successful during the last quarter for which figures are available.

baroness thomas of winchester: To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of appeals against Disability Living Allowance decisions by claimants before tribunals have been successful during the last quarter for which figures are available.

lord keen of elie: Between April and June 2019 (the latest quarter for which data are available), 75% of Personal Independence Payment appeals were successful1; for Disability Living Allowance appeals, it was 67%.

Prison Officers: Post-traumatic Stress Disorder

lord empey: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether Her Majesty'sPrison Service in England and Wales recognises Post Traumatic Stress Disorder as a condition that can justify early retirement on medical grounds for affected staff.

lord keen of elie: HMPPS recognises Post Traumatic Stress Disorder as a condition that can lead to early retirement on medical grounds for affected staff. HMPPS has an ill health retirement process in place for all employees, with cases referred to our occupational health providers for expert medical advice and recommendations.

Prisoners

lord trefgarne: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many (1) male, and (2) female, convicted prisoners serving indeterminate sentences for public protection are currently held in England and Wales; and how many such prisoners have been released in the last 12 months.

lord keen of elie: The information you ask for is routinely published and therefore available in the public domain; however, I have provided it below for ease of reference. IPP population as at 30 June 2019:  MenWomenUnreleased IPP 2,27342Recalled IPP 1,08628Total 3,35970 IPP first releases April 2018 to March 2019 inclusive:MenWomen45111 Between April 2018 and March 2019 inclusive, a total of 356 IPP prisoners were released following recall from the community. This data is not separated by gender. As with any large-scale recording system, administrative IT systems are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Supreme Court: EU Grants and Loans

lord stoddart of swindon: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether any Supreme Court justices receive financial support from the EU; and if so, how many.

lord keen of elie: Supreme Court Justices receive no financial support from the EU. The Court’s activities including Justices’ salaries and expenses are financed mainly by Supply voted by Parliament,contributions from various jurisdictions, court fees and financing from the Consolidated Fund.

Department for International Trade

*No heading*

lord oates: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the UK leaving the EU without a deal on UK chemical and metal companies’ exports to the EU 27 member states.

the earl of courtown: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

*No heading*

lord oates: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether UK chemical and metal companies will be able to continue to export to the EU 27 countries in the event of the UK exiting the EU without a deal.

the earl of courtown: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Families: Disadvantaged

lord farmer: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the cost of evaluating the Troubled Families Programme for their (1) National evaluation of the Troubled Families Programme 2015 to 2020: early findings, published in April 2017; (2) National evaluation of the Troubled Families Programme 2015 to 2020: emerging findings, published in December 2017; (3) National evaluation of the Troubled Families Programme 2015 to 2020: interim findings, published in March 2018; and (4) National evaluation of the Troubled Families Programme 2015–2020: Findings, published in March 2019, reports.

viscount younger of leckie: The national evaluation of the Troubled Families Programme 2015-2020 publishes findings on a regular basis as new evidence becomes available. This means that the latest evidence can be used to inform the programme design on an ongoing basis. The publications referred to in the question are all part of a single evaluation project and therefore it is difficult to estimate the costs for each publication. The total spend on external evaluation contracts is £3,985,942, roughly 0.4% of the programme’s total budget. This includes data matching, case study research, longitudinal staff surveys, a longitudinal family survey and a cost benefit analysis for the programme. This does not include internal staff time which is difficult to estimate.The evaluation has been pioneering in its use of data, matching data from four government departments with local data to provide a deep understanding of the lives of families with multiple complex needs. This is the first time this has been done and as far as we are aware, is the biggest data linking exercise in government.The robust evaluation has been vital in demonstrating the impact of the programme and making the case for its continuation.

UK Shared Prosperity Fund: Charities and Voluntary Organisations

baroness pinnock: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether any decisionsregarding the quantum and allocation of replacement EU grant funding under the Shared Prosperity Fund will be announced in time for charities and voluntary organisations to continue with existing programmes of work after 2020 when existing grant funding ends.

viscount younger of leckie: The Government recognises the importance of providing beneficiaries of EU funding with clarity on the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. There are many detailed design questions to come, on which we welcome input from across the UK. It is only right that we take final decisions about the UK Shared Prosperity Fund after a cross-government Spending Review in 2020.

Housing: Solar Power

baroness quin: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Bourne of Aberystwyth on 4 July (HL16607), whether they will now answer the question put, namely what recent considerations they have given to making it a requirement that all new homes be fitted with solar panels.

viscount younger of leckie: We have launched a consultation on options for a meaningful and achievable increase to the energy efficiency standards for new homes to be introduced through the Building Regulations in 2020, as a stepping stone to meeting our commitment to introduce a Future Homes Standard by 2025. Our preferred option for 2020 would achieve a 31% reduction in carbon emissions for an average home. We expect this would be achieved by homes being built with high fabric standards alongside the use of low-carbon heating, such as a heat-pump, or renewables technology, such as solar photovoltaic (PV) panels.The Building Regulations set minimum energy performance standards for new homes and non-domestic buildings, but do not prescribe the technologies, materials or fuels to be used, allowing builders the flexibility to innovate and select the most practical and cost-effective solutions in particular circumstances. For example, many roofs are not suitable for solar PV panels because of visual amenity, age, strength, or orientation of the property. It would therefore be implausible for Government to enforce a blanket requirement to deploy solar PV panels on every new home.

Local Government Finance

lord bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Vere of Norbiton on 9 September (HL17590), whether the 2019–20 local government finance settlement was higher than the 2018–19 settlement.

viscount younger of leckie: I can confirm that the 2019-20 local government finance settlement was higher than the 2018-19 settlement. Core Spending Power increased from £45.1 billion in 2018-19 to £46.2 billion in 2019-20, a cash-increase of 2.5% and a real-terms increase in resources available to local authorities.

Homelessness: Care Leavers

the earl of listowel: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they have made towards reducing the numbers of care leavers who are (1) rough sleeping, and (2) homeless, in 2019; and what steps they are taking to achieve further reductions in those numbers.

viscount younger of leckie: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Homelessness: Death

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to combat the rise in deaths of homeless people.

viscount younger of leckie: This Government is committed to halving rough sleeping by 2022, before ending it altogether and has now committed over £1.2 billion to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping over the spending review period to April 2020.In the recent Spending Round we announced £422 million funding for homelessness in 2020/21, an increase of £54 million.The Government changed the law and the Homelessness Reduction Act, which is the most ambitious legislation in this area in decades, came into force this April. The Homelessness Reduction Act requires Councils to provide early support for those at risk of having nowhere left to go. The Government is also boosting access to affordable housing, and making renting more secure.We also recognise the challenges that the cold weather poses for those who are sleeping rough. On 12 September 2019, we launched a second year of the Cold Weather Fund. This £10 million fund will be available to all local authorities in England to provide a robust, local response to support as many rough sleepers as possible off the streets during the winter period. This is double the funding made available last winter. Local authorities will be able to access this funding until March 2020Whilst we recognise that suitable housing is a key part of the solution, health services have a significant role to play, alongside other public services. MHCLG is working with the DHSC to ensure that rough sleepers have the health care they need, when the need it. This includes several commitments that were made in the Rough Sleeping Strategy, such as:committing £30m for mental health services from NHS England for rough sleeping over the next five yearsproviding up to £2 million in health funding to test models of community-based provision designed to enable access to health and support services for people who are sleeping rough.working with Safeguarding Adult Boards to ensure that Safeguarding Adult Reviews where appropriate. Lessons learned from these reviews will inform improvements in local systems and services.Professor Dame Carol Black has been appointed to carry out a major review of drug misuse. The review, which is building on existing government strategies to combat drugs, serious violence and serious and organised crime, is examining the harms that drugs cause and the best ways to prevent drug-taking.

Homelessness

baroness thornhill: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the statement byViscount Younger of Leckie on 1 October (HL Deb, col 1624) that there is now "a year’s worth of evidence, which shows that more people are being supported earlier" and that "this is having a clear impact on the prevention of homelessness", whether they will place a copy of that evidence in the Library of the House.

viscount younger of leckie: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Homelessness Reduction Act

baroness thornhill: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the statement by Viscount Younger of Leckie on 1 October (HL Deb, col 1624), what plans they have to conduct a review into the effectiveness of the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017.

viscount younger of leckie: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Housing: Access

baroness thomas of winchester: To ask Her Majesty's Government when theyintend to consult on mandatory accessible housing standards in building regulations.

baroness thomas of winchester: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progressthey have made towards ensuring that new properties are built with good accessibility standards to reflect the needs of older and disabled people.

viscount younger of leckie: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Ministry of Defence

Armed Forces: Sexual Offences

lord lexden: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to make posthumous pardons available under the Policing and Crime Act 2017 to armed forces personnel convicted of sexual offences that have now been abolished.

baroness goldie: Primary legislation will be required in order to add to the list of Service disciplinary offences set out in the Policing and Crime Act 2017. We will continue to consider finding Parliamentary time for this.

Armed Forces: Recruitment

lord moonie: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people have (1) applied to join, and (2) joined, Her Majesty's Armed Forces in each of the last 12 months.

baroness goldie: The application and inflow figures for the UK Regular Armed Forces between 1 July 2018 and 31 June 2019 can be found in the following tables. As with any organisation, there is a period of time between applying to join the Armed Forces and beginning training, and therefore the two tables are not directly comparable. Application figures may appear high compared to inflow, however it can take months to translate an application into an enlistment. In many cases this will be based on individual needs, for example due to finishing education or planning start dates around family commitments. High application figures demonstrate positive reaction to advertising campaigns, and the appeal of the Armed Forces. However, given the nature of the Armed Forces, stringent entry standards are required. MonthJul 18Aug 18Sep 18Oct 18Nov 18Dec 18Jan 19Feb 19Mar 19Apr 19May 19Jun 19Applications12,32011,84010,86010,30013,8609,57018,73013,55013,2309,81010,26010,500 MonthJul 18Aug 18Sep 18Oct 18Nov 18Dec 18Jan 19Feb 19Mar 19Apr 19May 19Jun 19Inflow7704802,2601,0309002101,4409802,2406301,3201,260 Notes/Caveats:Figures for inflow have been provided by Defence Statistics;Application figures are based on single Service estimates; official statistics have not been produced by Defence Statistics;If a candidate has made more than one application, each application will be counted separately;Intake comprises all personnel joining the Armed Forces either as new entrants or re-entrants.UK Regular Forces do not include Gurkhas, Full Time Reserve Service (FTRS) personnel and mobilised reservists;Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10, though numbers ending in a “5” have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent the systematic bias caused by always rounding numbers upwards;Figures exclude Commonwealth applicants to the Army.

Type 31 Frigates

lord west of spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether their recent order for five Type 31e frigates will increase the number of frigates in the Royal Navy.

baroness goldie: Her Majesty's Government announced the preferred bidder for the Type 31 General Purpose Frigate competition in September 2019 and looks forward to the contract award in due course. These five ships will replace the existing five General Purpose Type 23 Frigates.As explained in the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015 and in the National Shipbuilding Strategy, we remain committed to a surface fleet of at least 19 frigates and destroyers, and the Royal Navy will continue to have the ships it requires to fulfil Defence and policy commitments. It remains our intent to grow the destroyer and frigate force by the 2030s, and the Type 31 Frigates will give us the opportunity to do this.

Armed Forces: Housing

baroness redfern: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the condition of Ministry of Defence housing stock; and what steps they take to ensure the condition of such stock meets acceptable living standards.

baroness goldie: The Ministry of Defence has committed to provide Service Family Accommodation (SFA) in the UK that meets or exceeds the Government Decent Homes Standard and we continue to fulfil this obligation. Currently, more than 97% of SFA meets or exceeds this standard. The Defence Infrastructure Organisation continues to work closely with its Industry partner to improve further the condition of SFA provided to Service families.

Military Aircraft: Procurement

lord west of spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Future Combat Air System Technology Initiative will develop carrier-borne variants; and what assessment they have made of the importance of carrier-borne variants to achieving the aim of delivering a Next Generation Combat Air System capable of operating in the 2040+ environment.

baroness goldie: The F-35 is at the beginning of its service life and is the most effective and developed aircraft capable of Queen Elizabeth Class (QEC) based operations. The Tempest acquisition programme is looking at the replacement of Typhoon's capabilities and any new combat air system will need to be interoperable with Carrier Enabled Power Projection. During the Concept Phase, QEC basing for any unmanned force multipliers which may form part of the future combat air system is being considered.

Department for Work and Pensions

Social Security Benefits: Polygamy

baroness flather: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many polygamous households received income-related state benefits in the latest annual period for which figures are available.

baroness flather: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether second and subsequent partners in polygamous relationships are treated as separate claimants under the current rules for benefits and tax credits.

baroness flather: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many polygamous households they estimate to be affected by the move to Universal Credit; and what estimate they have made of the total cost of such households’ Universal Credit claims.

baroness stedman-scott: There is no estimate of the number of legally recognised polygamous marriages in the United Kingdom. The Government believe the numbers of legally recognised polygamous marriages to be very low and declining. This is because, since the Immigration Act 1988, it has not been possible for people polygamously married overseas to bring second spouses to the United Kingdom. No one can contract a polygamous marriage in the UK, but marriage legislation recognises the validity of polygamous marriages entered into in a country where polygamy was legal when the parties concerned were domiciled there. Social security legislation adopts a similar approach to avoid anomalous results (such as treating polygamous households more favourably than monogamous ones). Information concerning: a) the volume of polygamous households estimated to be affected by the move to Universal Credit, and b) how many polygamous households receiving income-related state benefits is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost. In Universal Credit, the process is that the one spouse will claim for the other in the same way as an unmarried couple, and any other adults living in the household will have to claim as single people on the basis of their own circumstances. This process already happens where a polygamous marriage is not recognised in law. Legacy income-related benefits provide for polygamous marriages only where the marriage was contracted in a country where polygamy was legal when the parties concerned were domiciled there. Provision is at the lowest level consistent with our human rights obligations. These rules have been in place since the introduction of Income Support in 1988. Income-related benefits are not payable for spouses who do not reside in Great Britain.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Air Pollution

baroness jones of moulsecoomb: To ask Her Majesty's Government what major air pollution events occurred in the UK between 1 January 2017 and 1 September 2019; on whichdates such events occurred; and on which dates they issued related media notifications.

lord gardiner of kimble: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Air Pollution

baroness jones of moulsecoomb: To ask Her Majesty's Government on which dates between 1 January 2017 and 1 September 2019 the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs convened the multi-agency response group to deal with air pollution events.

lord gardiner of kimble: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

EU Rapid Alert Systems for Food and Feed

lord rooker: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress has been madewith discussions about the UK remaining an active member of the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed operated by the EU.

lord gardiner of kimble: Talks are intensifying and we are working to secure a new deal with the EU. The Government remains committed to maintaining a relationship with the Commission on the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed which will be a matter for the next phase of negotiations, as required by the Commission. It is a Government priority to maintain high standards of protection for human, animal and plant health.

White Fish: North Sea

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of climate change on North Sea cod losingsustainability status.

lord gardiner of kimble: In its most recent advice, the International Council for Exploration of the Sea (ICES) assesses that the North Sea cod stock has been subject to both increased fishing pressure and reduced recruitment levels. This combination of effects has led to the reduced stock status. There is no clear cause of the low recruitment in 2018 although a number of factors including the size of adult spawning stock and environmental variability are known to affect recruitment success. The Government is committed to ensuring our fish stocks are healthy and UK fisheries management is sustainable for future generations. The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification is an industry led initiative to reassure consumers as to the sustainability of the fish they eat. This is not organised nor administered by the Government, but by the MSC.

Forests: North of England

lord greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress is being made on the Northern Forest scheme and (1) how many trees have been planted so far, (2) how many will be planted in each of the next five planting seasons, (3) in which local authorities or national parks they will be planted, and (4) how many trees will be planted in cities and other urban areas.

lord gardiner of kimble: As part of the 25 Year Environment Plan, the Government is providing £5.7 million to support the existing Northern Forest Partnership of the Community Forests and the Woodland Trust to accelerate develop the Northern Forest. This four-year kick-start investment will fund the planting of at least 1.8 million new trees across the Northern Forest by 2022. 1) In year one (2018/19) our investment funded the planting of 103,980 trees against a planting target of 100,000 trees. 2) Our investment is for four delivery years (2018/19, 2019/20, 2020/21, 2021/22). Over the remaining 3 years it will fund the planting of a further 1.7 million trees. 3) It will fund the planting of new trees in parts of the North York Moors, Yorkshire Dales and Peak District. The majority of planting will be in the counties of Cheshire, Merseyside, Greater Manchester, Derbyshire, Yorkshire and Humber. We do not have a breakdown for individual local authorities. 4) It will fund the planting of at least 300,000 trees in cities and other urban areas over four years (2018/19 – 2021/22). 55,360 trees were planted in urban areas in year one.

Forests: North of England

lord greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much funding they will provide towards the Northern Forest scheme in each year from 2018–2023; and in each year how much of this is expected to be spent on (a) tree planting, (b) land acquisition, and (c) administration and other expenses.

lord gardiner of kimble: As part of the 25 Year Environment Plan, the Government is providing £5.7m to support the existing Northern Forest (NF) partnership of the Community Forests and the Woodland Trust to accelerate and develop the NF. This four-year kick-start investment will fund the planting of at least 1.8m new trees across the NF by 2022. Of the £5.7m funding, £5.2m is allocated to be spent on trees and £500,000 on supporting the NF partnership with administration and project management. None of our £5.7m investment is allocated for land acquisition.

Forests: Lancashire

lord greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had since the announcement of the Northern Forest scheme on its possible extension to Lancashire or a part of that county.

lord gardiner of kimble: The core Northern Forest (NF) area will see at least 1.8m new trees, funded by our £5.7m four-year investment planted in Cheshire, Merseyside, Greater Manchester, Derbyshire, Yorkshire and the Humber. Beyond the core area of the NF, our investment will also fund new woodland creation in surrounding halo areas, of which Lancashire is included, where the NF partnership has judged that new woodland there would be beneficial.

Forests: North of England

lord greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether proposals under the Northern Forest scheme will include any rewilding schemes.

lord gardiner of kimble: As part of the 25 Year Environment Plan, the Government is providing £5.7m to support the existing Northern Forest (NF) partnership of the Community Forests and the Woodland Trust to accelerate the development of the NF. This four-year kick-start investment will fund the planting of at least 1.8m new trees across the NF by 2022. Our investment is provided to accelerate tree planting and woodland creation.

Electrical Control Equipment: Sulphur Hexafluoride

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will consult the National Grid and other electricity suppliers about the use of the greenhouse gas sodium hexafluoride as an insulation material in medium and high-voltage electrical installations, including switchgear; in particular about leaks of gas into the atmosphere, the extent of this problem and its global impact; and whether they will publish their findings.

lord gardiner of kimble: We have interpreted this question as referring to sulphur hexafluoride (SF6). In the EU Fluorinated Greenhouse Gases Regulation (2014), equipment containing sulphur hexafluoride (SF6) is subject to containment provisions, including leak checking obligations, a requirement to repair any detected leakages without undue delay and the need to use appropriately qualified personnel to perform these tasks. The Regulation also prohibits the intentional release of F-gases into the atmosphere, where the release is not technically necessary for the intended use. The EU F-gases Regulation requires that the Commission publish a report by 1 July 2020, assessing whether cost-effective, technically feasible, energy-efficient and reliable alternatives exist, which make the replacement of SF6 possible in new medium-voltage secondary switchgear. It also requires that a comprehensive review of the EU F-gas regulation, including a consultation process, is published by December 2022. All requirements of the Regulation, including the above, will be retained in UK law after EU exit.

Bridleways and Public Footpaths: Lake District National Park

lord bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the damage caused to footpaths and bridleways in the Lake District National Park; and what measures are available to park authorities to remedy such damage.

lord gardiner of kimble: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Incinerators

baroness jones of moulsecoomb: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the reasons for the 1.3 million ton increase in the incineration of waste in 2017 compared to 2016, as outlined in the Environment Agency's Waste management in England data summaries for those years; and whether they will provide a breakdown of the sources of that waste.

lord gardiner of kimble: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

High Speed 2 Railway Line: Ickenham

baroness jones of moulsecoomb: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made against the environmental objective to attain good water quality standards at the Ickenham stream by 2027 of (1) the removal of trees, (2) gas pipe diversion, (3) tunnelling, and (4) construction of a concrete curtain, by HS2 Ltd.

lord gardiner of kimble: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Public Footpaths: Coastal Areas

lord greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they are on track to meet their commitment, made in December 2014, that the English Coastal Path will be completed and open in 2020; and if not, what are the reasons for any delays.

lord gardiner of kimble: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Public Footpaths: Coastal Areas

lord greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government which sections of the English Coastal Path are now open; and what are the expected opening dates of the remaining sections in each area.

lord gardiner of kimble: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Environment Protection

baroness mcintosh of pickering: To ask Her Majesty's Government what will bethe arrangements for environmental protection and upholding environmental standards from the date of the UK leaving the EU and the date on which the Office for Environmental Protection is established.

lord gardiner of kimble: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Eggs: Import Duties

baroness redfern: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to revise their proposed no-deal tariff schedule to include eggs and egg products.

lord gardiner of kimble: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Packaging: Waste

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what research they are conducting into extended producer responsibility to assist in the reduction of pollution by plastics and to encourage the use of recyclable and bio-degradable packaging.

lord gardiner of kimble: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Waste: Exports

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they intend to take to prevent the export of waste products from the UK.

lord gardiner of kimble: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Packaging: Waste

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what incentives they intend to offer to (1) producers, (2) wholesalers, and (3) retailers, to reduce the amount of packaging in the economy, in particular non-reusable plastic packaging.

lord gardiner of kimble: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Plastics: Waste Disposal

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the amendment of the Basel Convention on Transboundary Movement of Hazardous Wastes in June 2019 to include a list of plastic products; and what plans they have to review that amendment's effect annually.

lord gardiner of kimble: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Deserts: Waste Disposal

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to commission research into the capacity of the world's deserts to accommodate toxic wastes and non-recyclable plastics.

lord gardiner of kimble: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Water Supply: Colne Valley

baroness jones of moulsecoomb: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Gardiner of Kimble on 1 August (HL17256), what assessment they have made of the advice from the Environment Agency to Hillingdon Council in 2008 that pollution was flowing south west from the New Years Green Landfill towards the site of planned HS2 piling works.

lord gardiner of kimble: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

High Speed 2 Railway Line: Hillingdon

baroness jones of moulsecoomb: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assurances they have sought from HS2 Ltd about the impacts on their plans of the confirmation by the London Borough of Hillingdon in 2011 that New Years Green Bourne was a Significant Pollution Pathway under paragraphs 3(a) and 3(c) of the Contaminated Land (England) Regulations 2006, with the underground pollution plume travelling in a southwesterly direction towards the Test Pile Site area of Harvil Road.

lord gardiner of kimble: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Trees: Conservation

baroness jones of moulsecoomb: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the adequacy of legal protections for ancient yew trees.

lord gardiner of kimble: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Trees: Conservation

baroness jones of moulsecoomb: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will consult(1) members of the public, (2) civil society organisations, and (3) local authorities, on options for increasing legal protections for ancient yew trees.

lord gardiner of kimble: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Trees: Conservation

baroness jones of moulsecoomb: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to recognise ancient yew trees as part of the UK’s national heritage.

lord gardiner of kimble: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Beverage Containers: Recycling

baroness mcintosh of pickering: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the timetable for the introduction of a deposit return scheme for drinks containers; what use will be made of reverse vending machines as part of such a scheme; and what the respective roles of (1) industry, and (2) local government, will be in that scheme.

lord gardiner of kimble: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Agriculture: Subsidies

baroness mcintosh of pickering: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether pilots, or other tests and trials, of the proposed Environmental Land Management Schemes have taken place; and if so, when they will publish the results.

lord gardiner of kimble: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Eggs: Imports

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans, if any, they have to make the duty-free import of eggs conditional upon animal welfare requirements.

lord gardiner of kimble: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Eggs: Standards

lord bourne of aberystwyth: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that egg and egg products continue to comply with high welfare standards after Brexit.

lord gardiner of kimble: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Eggs

lord bourne of aberystwyth: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure the vitality of the British egg industry after Brexit.

lord gardiner of kimble: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Recycling

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the EU's Circular Economy Package; and what steps, if any, they are taking to implement the concept of a circular economy in the UK.

lord gardiner of kimble: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

*No heading*

lord oates: To ask Her Majesty's Government what procedures they have established for companies to apply for UK REACH certification of compliance in the event of the UK exiting the EU.

lord gardiner of kimble: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

*No heading*

lord oates: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to publish the procedures for companies to obtain UK REACH certification of compliance.

lord gardiner of kimble: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Home Office

Immigration: Fees and Charges

lord beecham: To ask Her Majesty's Government how the costs ofan application (1) for limited leave to remain, and (2) to extend limited leave to remain, are calculated;by how much the costs of such applications have increasedin percentage terms since 2015; and why those costs have increased.

baroness williams of trafford: The unit costs of immigration and nationality fees are the calculated estimate of the full financial cost for providing each route/service, including direct costs and relevant local and central overheads (e.g. accommodation, HR, Finance and IT), plus depreciation, cost of capital employed, and other wider system costs that are incurred in connection with immigration and nationality activity.The approach the Home Office uses to calculate the published unit costs for all UK visa, immigration and citizenship services takes into account the entire forecast cost of the relevant chargeable functions, including all related indirect costs. Weightings are then used, based on operational business planning data, to apportion the total cost across the range of services and products.Unit costs may be influenced by changes in the way that applications in certain routes are processed from year to year, for example where additional checks are introduced or required, or by changes elsewhere within the overall system which impact on the weighting calculations and therefore the amount apportioned to any individual service.With regard to percentage increases, the Home Office publishes a complete list of fees and unit costs for all application types. This can be viewed via the following link:www.gov.uk/government/publications/visa-fees-transparency-dataAdditionally, the link below sets out all the fees that have been in operation since 2015.www.gov.uk/government/publications/visa-regulations-revised-table When setting fees, the Home Office takes into account the cost of processing the application, the wider cost of running Border, Immigration and Citizenship (BIC) system and the benefits the Home Office believes are likely to accrue from a successful application.Application fees have increased in recent years as the Home Office aims to reduce the overall level of funding that comes from general taxation.

Police Advisory Board

baroness harris of richmond: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will nominate representatives of the Police Superintendents' Association to the Police Advisory Board of England and Wales; and if not, why not.

baroness harris of richmond: To ask Her Majesty's Government who are the members of the Police Advisory Board of England and Wales; what is the remit of that Board; and how that board is constituted.

baroness williams of trafford: The Police Advisory Board for England and Wales (PABEW) was established as a non-departmental public body under section 46 of the Police Act 1964.Its remit is to consider draft regulations under the Police Act 1996, with respect to matters such as recruitment, diversity, and police workforce reform.The Board is chaired by Elizabeth France and includes representatives of interested organisations, including the Police Superintendents’ Association. A full list of the Board’s membership is available at gov.uk/government/organisations/police-advisory-board-for-england-and-wales/about/membership

Immigration

baroness lister of burtersett: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the evidence and recommendations in the report by Let Us Learn! 'Normality is a luxury’: how 'limited leave to remain' is blighting young lives?, published in July.

baroness williams of trafford: The Government has considered this report and representations made on behalf of these young people. It is only right that those who benefit from the NHS contribute to its upkeep and the income generated from the Immigration Health Surcharge goes directly to NHS services.Fee waivers are also available for applications under specified human rights routes that and these routes cater for children and young people who have spent a significant amount of their life in the UK. A waiver can therefore be applied to the health surcharge. If the applicant cannot pay either the health surcharge or the immigration fee we will waive both.The Home Office keeps fees under review and we are considering the range of concerns that have been expressed in this context.

Right of Abode: British National (Overseas)

the marquess of lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of recent calls to restore the right of abode in the UK to holders of British National (Overseas) passports living in Hong Kong; and what action, if any, they intend to take as a result.

baroness williams of trafford: Holders of British National (Overseas) passports living in Hong Kong do not have a right of abode in the UK, unless they are also British citizens.Their only route to acquire the right of abode in the UK would be to apply for British citizenship. There are no plans to change the law in this respect.

Asylum

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by the Refugee and the No Accommodation Network Missing the Safety Net,published on 4 September, in particular the finding that the Home Office is frequently failing to provide vulnerable people, including pregnant women, with the asylum support to which they are entitled.

baroness williams of trafford: We will discuss the report with the authors and respond in due course.The report is about support arrangements for failed asylum seekers, who can apply to receive accommodation and other assistance if they would otherwise be destitute and can show that there is a temporary obstacle preventing their departure from the UK . Most of these applications are decided upon within 5 working days, or 2 days if the person is vulnerable, but some take longer because of the need to make further enquiries to establish that the person is eligible to receive the support. There is a right of appeal to the independent Tribunal if the application is refused.

Drugs: Decriminalisation

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to review their policy on illegal drugs, following the decriminalisation of such drugs in many jurisdictions including parts of North and South America.

baroness williams of trafford: The Government has no plans to legalise illicit drugs. There is a substantial body of scientific and medical evidence to show that controlled drugs are harmful and can damage people's mental and physical health.

Asylum: Finance

lord watson of invergowrie: To ask Her Majesty's Government what proportion of applicants for support under section 4(2) of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999,in the last year for which records are held, were asked to provide further information to support their request, broken down by the reason further information was required.

baroness williams of trafford: The information requested would require a manual trawl of records of all service users receiving section 4 support and could only be provided at a dis-proportionate cost.

Department for International Development

Tanzania: Ebola

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the outbreak of disease with Ebola-like symptoms in Tanzania.

baroness sugg: The UK takes the threat of Ebola and other infectious diseases extremely seriously. We are one of the leading donors to the response to the Ebola outbreak in the DRC and to help prepare other countries in the region, including Tanzania, to prevent the spread of this deadly disease. UK Travel Advice was updated on 1 October to reflect that a person died in Tanzania in September 2019 of probable Ebola. We stand ready to provide assistance to British nationals if required.

Syria: Migrant Camps

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the difficulties of relocating the displaced people still in the Rukban camp, near the frontier of Syria and Jordan; what discussions they have had on that subject; and with whom.

baroness sugg: We have been closely following the situation in Rukban camp, including the difficulties of relocating displaced people. The UK has consistently engaged with the UN, Jordan and the US on Rukban. We have pressed for any movement to be safe, voluntary and informed, and for strong protection safeguards and measures to be part of any relocation plan. We have insisted that humanitarian aid assistance should be provided independently of movements and of any relocation plan. We continue to push the UN and others for a credible plan to deliver aid and sustainable solutions for relocation.

Developing Countries: Climate Change

the earl of sandwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government which least developed countriesare currently in receipt of UK aid funding to be used specifically to address the effects of climate change.

baroness sugg: The UK remains committed to helping developing countries build their resilience to the impacts of climate change and support low carbon, sustainable growth. The UK has committed to provide £5.8 billion of International Climate Finance from the UK aid budget from 2016/17 to 2020/21, and at the United Nations Climate Action Summit in September 2019 announced a doubling to £11.6 billion from 2021/22 to 2025/26. In 2018 the UK provided International Climate Finance directly to the following Least Developed Countries through its bilateral programming in country: AfghanistanRwandaBangladeshSierra LeoneEthiopiaSomaliaMadagascarSouth SudanMalawiSudanMozambiqueTanzaniaMyanmarUgandaNepalZambia In 2018 the UK also supported several multi-country and regional bilateral climate programmes and contributed core funding to the climate multilaterals the Green Climate Fund and the Global Environment Facility.

Developing Countries: Climate Change

the earl of sandwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government which least developed countries (1) experiencing, and (2) likely to experience,rising (a) ocean levels, and (b) temperatures, are receiving, or due to receive, UK aid funding to be used specifically for the effects of climate change.

baroness sugg: Recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Special Reports state that global temperatures and sea levels are rising and are expected to continue doing so. Least Developed Countries are expected to be most vulnerable to the impacts of future global temperature increases, being least able to cope with the impacts. The UK remains committed to help developing countries build their resilience to the impacts of climate change and support low carbon, sustainable growth. The UK has committed to provide £5.8 billion of International Climate Finance from the UK aid budget from 2016/17 to 2020/21, and at the United Nations Climate Action Summit in September 2019 announced a doubling to £11.6 billion from 2021/22 to 2025/26. In 2018 the UK provided International Climate Finance directly to the following Least Developed Countries through its bilateral programming in country, and expects to spend across a similar geographical footprint in 2019: AfghanistanRwandaBangladeshSierra LeoneEthiopiaSomaliaMadagascarSouth SudanMalawiSudanMozambiqueTanzaniaMyanmarUgandaNepalZambia Of the countries above, Bangladesh, Madagascar, Mozambique, Myanmar, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan and Tanzania are coastal and are likely to be adversely impacted by rising sea levels.

Northern Ireland Office

Business: Northern Ireland

lord hay of ballyore: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support Northern Ireland's business community.

lord duncan of springbank: The UK Government is committed to supporting businesses across the UK as part of the Prime Minister’s commitment to levelling up our regions. In doing so, the UK Government has supported NI businesses through: The British Business Bank, which has supported 1,250 SMEs in Northern Ireland with £80.2m (as at December 2018) since 2014. In the last year alone, over 1,000 loans have been granted to NI businesses, valued at £7.3m; At Spring Statement, a UK-wide review of the Aggregates Levy was launched which will consider the impact of the levy on businesses in Northern Ireland; and Delivering an ambitious set of City Deals worth over £400m.

Universal Credit: Northern Ireland

baroness lister of burtersett: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that social security mitigations in Northern Ireland will continue after March 2020 in the absence of an Executive.

lord duncan of springbank: The Department for Communities in Northern Ireland is responsible for the delivery of the various mitigation schemes relating to welfare reform in Northern Ireland. A decision to extend mitigations beyond March 2020 would be a matter for an incoming Minister for Communities in a restored Northern Ireland Executive.

Agriculture: Northern Ireland

lord rogan: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans are in place to protect the Northern Ireland agricultural sector in the event of a no-deal Brexit.

lord duncan of springbank: The agricultural sector plays an important role in the economy and society of Northern Ireland and we will do everything possible to safeguard the sector as the UK leaves the EU. That is best done by securing a deal with the EU, which remains the clear focus of this Government. With that said, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and Ministerial team have been working closely with colleagues across Government and engaging with the Northern Ireland Civil Service, including the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, to identify how we can best support the agricultural community in the event of a ‘no-deal'.

Northern Ireland

lord caine: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to promote to the people of Northern Ireland the benefits of Northern Ireland forming part of the UK.

lord caine: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the economic benefits to Northern Ireland of being a part of the UK.

lord caine: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether promoting the benefits to Northern Ireland of being part of the UK is one of the core functions of the Northern Ireland Office.

lord caine: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they plan to take to strengthen Northern Ireland's place within the UK.

lord duncan of springbank: It has not proved possible to respond to these questions in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Treasury

Occupational Pensions: Tax Allowances

baroness altmann: To ask Her Majesty's Government, with respect to the National Statistics data published in April,which estimated the total cost of pension tax relief in respect of registered pension schemes for the year ending 5 April 2018 at £36.3 billion including £4.3 billion in tax relief on employee contributions to occupational pension schemes, (1) what is the estimated figure of gross pension contributions on which this figure was based, and (2) what specific assumptions were made as to the rates of tax applicable in arriving at the figure of£4.3 billion; and whether these assumptions included that all employees making contributions to occupational schemes receive the full tax relief to which they are entitled, including those contributing to net pay pension schemes.

the earl of courtown: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 09 September 2019.The correct answer should have been:

It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member. HMRC publishes estimates of the cost of pension tax relief which is available in table 6 of HM Revenue and Customs Personal Pension Statistics on Gov.uk.  These estimates were revised on 26th September 2019 as part of an overall update to HMRC’s Personal Pension and Pension Relief statistics. Estimates of the cost of tax relief on contributions are produced using the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) for income, individual and employer contributions for members of pension schemes that use the net pay mechanism; and administrative data HMRC holds on relief at source administrative data matched to the Survey of Personal Incomes (SPI) - for income, individual and employer pension contributions for members of pension schemes that use the relief at source mechanism. The cost of tax relief for all contributions made by individuals is approximately £6.3bn, broken down as the cost of relief on employee contributions to occupational schemes (£4.2bn), to personal pension schemes (£1.6bn), and self-employed contributions to pensions (£0.5bn). Occupational pensions here includes some master trust pension schemes which use the relief at source method. Personal pensions here includes workplace personal pension schemes (such as group personal pensions). i) The £4.3bn figure referenced is the cost of pension tax relief relating to occupational pension schemes. Estimates of the cost of pension tax relief were revised on September 26th 2019 as part of an overall update to HMRC’s Personal Pensions and Pension Relief Statistics. The £4.3bn figure referenced has since been revised to £4.2bn.  This £4.2bn figure of tax relief is derived from around £15.9bn of estimated “relievable” individual pension contributions to occupational pension schemes, (where “relievable” refers to our best estimates of contributions which are within the individual’s pensions Annual Allowance).  ii) Marginal rate tax relief is applied to these estimates of “relievable” contributions as if these contributions were taxed. Estimates are produced assuming all members contributing to all pension schemes receive full marginal rate tax relief on their contributions. As noted in the publication, costs are subject to large revisions and have a particularly wide margin of error – reflecting the variety of sources of data (both administrative and survey) required to produce these estimates.

the earl of courtown: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member. HMRC publishes estimates of the cost of pension tax relief which is available in table 6 of HM Revenue and Customs Personal Pension Statistics on Gov.uk.  These estimates were revised on 26th September 2019 as part of an overall update to HMRC’s Personal Pension and Pension Relief statistics. Estimates of the cost of tax relief on contributions are produced using the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) for income, individual and employer contributions for members of pension schemes that use the net pay mechanism; and administrative data HMRC holds on relief at source administrative data matched to the Survey of Personal Incomes (SPI) - for income, individual and employer pension contributions for members of pension schemes that use the relief at source mechanism. The cost of tax relief for all contributions made by individuals is approximately £6.3bn, broken down as the cost of relief on employee contributions to occupational schemes (£4.2bn), to personal pension schemes (£1.6bn), and self-employed contributions to pensions (£0.5bn). Occupational pensions here includes some master trust pension schemes which use the relief at source method. Personal pensions here includes workplace personal pension schemes (such as group personal pensions). i) The £4.3bn figure referenced is the cost of pension tax relief relating to occupational pension schemes. Estimates of the cost of pension tax relief were revised on September 26th 2019 as part of an overall update to HMRC’s Personal Pensions and Pension Relief Statistics. The £4.3bn figure referenced has since been revised to £4.2bn.  This £4.2bn figure of tax relief is derived from around £15.9bn of estimated “relievable” individual pension contributions to occupational pension schemes, (where “relievable” refers to our best estimates of contributions which are within the individual’s pensions Annual Allowance).  ii) Marginal rate tax relief is applied to these estimates of “relievable” contributions as if these contributions were taxed. Estimates are produced assuming all members contributing to all pension schemes receive full marginal rate tax relief on their contributions. As noted in the publication, costs are subject to large revisions and have a particularly wide margin of error – reflecting the variety of sources of data (both administrative and survey) required to produce these estimates.

Brexit

lord steel of aikwood: To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of the budget preparing for a no-deal Brexit has been spent on advertisements (1)in newspapers, (2) on radio and television, and (3) on social media.

the earl of courtown: The Treasury allocated £100m to Cabinet Office to deliver the No-Deal Brexit Public Information Campaign in August 2019. The costs of the campaign will be published monthly on gov.uk, as part of routine government transparency. This will be broken down by supplier. The Treasury does not hold a detailed breakdown of how departments have allocated funding for no-deal preparations, therefore it is difficult to determine the exact amount spent on any other advertising delivered by individual departments.

Borders: Northern Ireland

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to installelectronic detection border equipment in Northern Ireland.

the earl of courtown: The UK Government has been resolute in its commitments to Northern Ireland. This includes protecting the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement in all its parts and ensuring there will be no hard border between Northern Ireland and Ireland. The Government will not introduce new physical infrastructure, which would include electronic detection border equipment, on the land border between Northern Ireland and Ireland.

Personation: Credit Rating

lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on victims of identity fraud inparticular any adverse credit rating changesand the subsequent impact of such changesonmortgage payments and relationships with credit companies.

the earl of courtown: Under the Fraud Act 2006, it is a crime to dishonestly make a false representation to make a gain, to cause loss to another or expose another to risk of loss. The Government takes fraud extremely seriously and recognises the devastating impacts that fraud can have on individuals and businesses. Decisions concerning how lenders assess mortgage applications, including how information from Credit Reference Agencies (CRAs) is used, are commercial decisions for banks and building societies. It is worth being aware that CRAs do not hold blacklists and do not tell a lender whether it should offer credit. Instead lenders use information from CRAs to come to their own commercial judgement. This means that while one lender may be unwilling to provide a mortgage due to a borrower’s credit history, that is not necessarily the case for other lenders.

Foster Care: Taxation

baroness kramer: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on foster carers of their plans to extend the new IR35 rules to the private sector from April 2020.

the earl of courtown: The reforms to how the off-payroll working rules are administered have already been in place in the public sector, including local authorities, since 2017. In the first 12 months, these reforms brought in an additional £550 million in Income Tax and NICs, which otherwise would have gone unpaid. Independent research into the public sector reforms found that most public bodies did not experience any change in their ability to fill vacancies, or the rates they pay following the reforms. Following consultation, the Government announced at Budget 2018 that it will extend this reform to all medium and large organisations. On 11 July 2019 HMRC published a Tax Information and Impact Note setting out the impact on individuals, households and families of the reform in the private sector.

Crowdfunding: Regulation

lord myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to (1) investigate delays in, and (2) take action to speed activity in, and (3) ensure lenders are properly informed about, secondary market sales in peer-to-peer lending.

the earl of courtown: The Government monitors the peer to peer (P2P) lending sector and engages regularly with P2P platforms and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), who are responsible for the regulation of the sector. The operationally independent FCA recently published new rules for the sector. These will come into force on 9 December and include enhanced requirements on governance, risk management and investor protection.

Developing Countries: Climate Change

the earl of sandwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, toinitiate, or support, a new debt relief scheme designed to assist the least developed countries affected by climate change.

the earl of courtown: The UK is a member of the Paris Club of official creditors, and any bilateral restructuring of UK loans to other sovereigns is conducted through this group. The UK forgave most of our loans to the least developed countries through the Paris Club framework under the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank Group (WBG) Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative in the 1990s and 2000s.The UK continues to play a leading role in discussions on debt sustainability and transparency in international fora, including on climate-resilient instruments. The UK has supported work through the Paris Club and G7 to develop “Hurricane Clauses” which can provide Caribbean sovereigns with cash-flow relief following natural disasters.The UK also provides broader policy support to assist the least developed countries affected by climate change. The Prime Minister announced at the UN Climate Action Summit on 23rd September 2019 that the UK would be doubling its international climate finance commitment to £11.6bn over the next five years. This will include work to help vulnerable countries and communities become resilient to the damaging effects of climate change.

Business

lord jones of cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will publish the results of Operation Kingfisher before 31 October; and if so, when.

the earl of courtown: We are continuing to monitor companies and sectors that may be exposed to short-term difficulties as a result of EU exit. This monitoring is market sensitive and confidential.

Aircraft: VAT

lord kirkhope of harrogate: To ask Her Majesty's Government what, if any, will be the VAT implications for aircraft which have to date been imported into, but may not be physically in, the UK on the planned exit day from the EU.

the earl of courtown: Some aircraft imported into the UK will be eligible for zero rate of VAT as shown in Notice 744C on ships, aircraft and associated services. If an aircraft has previously been imported into the UK with the appropriate taxes paid, its location on the day of Brexit will not affect its status as domestic goods, including UK VAT paid status. On return to the UK the importer may be able to claim Returned Goods Relief (RGR). This will be subject to conditions given in the RGR Notice 236. The free movement of aircraft being used as a means of transport is guaranteed by the Chicago Convention. This allows aircraft to land and take off at airports all over the world without the inconvenience of paying and reclaiming import duties, including VAT, each time a trip is made. This will continue after the UK leaves the EU.

Thomas Cook: Insolvency

lord browne of ladyton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the amount of tax and duty owed by Thomas Cook at the time of their entry into administration; and what assessment they have made of whether there is any prospectof recovering the amount owed or any proportion thereof.

the earl of courtown: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) do not disclose details of their work on the tax affairs of particular taxpayers.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Social Media: Advertising

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that social media companies use image recognition software to identify and block the advertising of illegal drugs.

baroness barran: A robust law enforcement response is a fundamental part of the government's drug strategy and we are taking coordinated action to tackle illegal drugs alongside associated criminal activity. Law enforcement agencies continue to work with internet service providers to shut down UK-based websites found to be committing offences such as selling drugs controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. The government has been clear that more needs to be done to tackle online harms, including sale of illegal goods. That is why the Government published the Online Harms White Paper, which sets out our plans for world-leading legislation to make the UK the safest place in the world to be online and hold companies to account for tackling a wide range of online harms. In February this year, the government also announced its intention to review how online advertising is regulated in the UK, looking at how well the current regime is equipped to tackle the challenges posed by technological developments seen in online advertising.

Scout Association

lord carlile of berriew: To ask Her Majesty's Government when Ministers last met the Scout Association; and which subjects were discussed.

baroness barran: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Voluntary Work: Ombudsman Service

lord carlile of berriew: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans, if any, they have toestablish an Ombudsman, in partnership with the voluntary sector, to investigate matters of concern raised by volunteers into the operation of individual voluntary organisations, including provisions for mediation where disputes are unresolved.

baroness barran: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

British Board of Film Classification

baroness howe of idlicote: To ask Her Majesty's Government when the standstill period for the British Board of Film Classification's Guidance on Age-verification Arrangements ends; and when they intend to (1) lay that guidance before Parliament, and (2) announce the new date on which the age verification regime to prevent children accessing commercial pornography online will come into force.

baroness barran: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Social Media

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans, if any, they have to combat sadfishing.

baroness barran: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Public Libraries

lord bourne of aberystwyth: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to promote libraries in the UK.

baroness barran: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

*No heading*

lord black of brentwood: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether ATA Carnets would be required for musicians who are travelling to perform in multiple EU countries in the event of a no-deal Brexit with regard to their musical instruments which are being transported either as (1) hand luggage, or (2) in trucks.

baroness barran: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.